My secret is out on Cascade Hall

Mortimer Brockert

December 09, 2016 2:43 AM

Repet-er Returning Feast by Mortimer Brockert

While Mortimer did not express emotions such as joy, pleasure, excitement or really emotions period, part of him was glad to be back at Sonora. He did sort of like his job-or rather the power that went with it. Okay, he was a Brockert and that meant inherent power anyway, but his power as Headmaster of Sonora was different of that of anyone else. He even had power over other Brockerts that weren't his own offspring. Even ones who were the offspring of the offspring of his older brother. Even ones who were descended from Clifford himself.

The other thing he liked was getting away from the mundane inanity of social gatherings. If Mortimer had to endure one more conversation about the weather or Quidditch, he was going to hex the crap out of someone. Literally. The Denver Wolves were making a run for the Cup and that was the team his family part owned with the Spauldings so it was a constant topic of conversation even though he cared about Quidditch possibly less than he cared about flobberworm mucus. He couldn't imagine how annoying it had to be for poor little Kira Spaulding-whose name he only remembered because of her extreme levels of magical talent-who had to hear it on both sides. Mortimer couldn't have done it without bourbon.

Of course, the Returning Feast had always seemed rather pointless to him itself. Yes, they were coming back and yes, they had to eat but there was nothing...special happening. At the Opening Feast, it was a pain in the ass but there were first years to be Sorted and the badges to be given out. The Returning Feast just was like....rubbing it in students faces that they had to be back at school. Something that only Aladrens and people with crappy home lives probably were happy about.

Still Mortimer stood up, and said "Welcome back to Sonora and the Returning Feast. I hope you all had a good midterm." He sat and began to eat his steak. That was it. No more to say.

Subthreads:

Santa Sparks is coming to town by Jozua Sparks with Lily Spencer

A rocky patch by Ginger Pierce with Jake Manger

Memories by Fabian Brockert

Life could be worse. by Luke Powell with Isaac Song

My secret is out by Aislinn Nicolls with Jack Spencer

A proper young lady by Kelsey Atwater with Alistair Johnson, Olivier Westley

Living the good life. (tag: Tasha) by Emilia-Louise Scott with Tasha DuBois

Careful what you wish for. [tag: Gia] by Chuck Fintoc with Gia Donovan

Feeling at home by Finn Scott with Ayla Tremaine

And here I am again. by Sutton Nicolls with Lionel Layne

I am having a completely normal evening, I am. by John Umland with Clark Dill

Returning to normal (Tag Georgia and Kellen) by Farrah Welsh with Kellen Mormont, Georgia

Not the happiest of Louis by Louis Valois

Excited to return by Sawyer Matheson with Arthur Leithan

Makin' like Elsa by Sammy Meeks with Scarlett Brockert

Back to School by Artemis Leithan with Daniel Fintoc

Feeling blessed. by Gwen Fintoc with Kir

I come here for the food by Lauren Song

Back again. by Wu Peizhi

11 Mortimer Brockert Repet-er Returning Feast 6 Mortimer Brockert 1 5

Jozua Sparks

December 09, 2016 11:35 AM

Santa Sparks is coming to town by Jozua Sparks

Jozua had arrived back at Sonora with his normal trunk of all his school-bound possessions- every stitch of clothing he might possibly need over the next five or so months, his books, parchment, quills, ink pots, potions equipment and supplies (which took up nearly as much space as his entire wardrobe), an actually decent Quidditch worthy broom that he'd gotten for Christmas, his props for pretend play, which had expanded beyond adventuring gear to now include investigation paraphernalia and a fedora as Flora, Avery, and Hank had become reoccurring serial characters, as well as other miscellaneous items necessary for self-maintenance, student life, and lesser entertainments. His wand was obviously carried on his own person.

In addition to these things, however, Jozua also brought with him a large red sack (it was actually brown originally, but Mom had consented to charm it red for him given that its purpose was to carry Christmas gifts and red was thematically appropriate). Jozua also wore a Santa hat and would have liked to have red robes, too, but mom had drawn the line at altering his school uniform. At least they were green, so he still posed a very Christmassy figure, especially after abandoning his trunk in the wagon and hoisting the great red bag (which also fortunately had some lightening charms on it) up over his shoulder as he strode toward the school.

Jozua wasn't quite sure how he had amassed so many friends that his pile of Christmas gifts had become this farcical, but somehow he had, and he was Teppenpaw enough, and furthermore well off enough, that he hadn't wanted to skimp on anybody he deemed a friend. Especially since he had forgotten some of them when he'd sent out candy grams. He still hadn't forgiven himself for missing Finn, so his roommate had gotten not one but two candy canes spello-taped to his package.

He had thought long and hard about each of the gifts, and was pretty pleased with what he had come up with.

Lily, his first and best friend, had gotten a deerstalker hat. This went with the hat theme he'd begun last year when he bought her an explorer's hat for their jungle expeditions into the Gardens. Lily had also gotten a set of three chocolate frogs.

He had considered a similar gift for Madeleine but decided the detective hat was too masculine and unstylish for the French witch; concerns which would not bother Lily. Instead he'd gone for a more feminine grey cloche hatwith a bow on it for his newest friend.

For Finn, he'd gotten his roommate a new set of wizard chess pieces. As Jozua's hometown of Aladren, Oregon was the only remaining town that Sonora's Houses had been named for, it did see a good number of alumni passing through just for curiosity's sake and there were plenty of shops taking advantage of that with Sonora themed merchandise. Jozua had found this chess set in one of those stores. The packaging read "Teppenpaw Wizarding Chess Set" and the pieces all had the Teppenpaw badge worn like heraldic devices. They could also switch between pale yellow when playing the white side and dark maroon when playing black. Jozua thought it looked pretty cool.

Under ordinary circumstances, he probably would have stopped his gift giving there, but this year there had been candygrams and he'd gotten two from his Quidditch teammates that he hadn't returned. And buying something for just two teammates seemed mean when they were a team, so he'd had to buy something for everyone on the team, and even though he was only giving them two chocolate frogs each, there were seven of such wrapped gifts, and with all the packaging that went into not crushing the frogs ... he had a pretty full present bag.

He wandered around the Cascade Hall prior to the feast, swooping down on one of his recipients whenever he spotted one, declared, "Hohoho, Merry Christmas!" and gave them their gift.

Upon delivering the last one, he sat down next to his giftee, figuring this seat was as good as any other and besides, the Headmaster was calling for their attention now and there wasn't time to find anywhere else. After the two sentences of what Headmaster Brockert seemed to consider a speech (a definition Jozua was totally ready to get behind) the food arrived and Jozua filled up his plate eagerly.

"Did you have a good midterm?" he asked the requisite question under the circumstances.

1 Jozua Sparks Santa Sparks is coming to town 348 Jozua Sparks 0 5

Ginger Pierce

December 09, 2016 3:33 PM

A rocky patch by Ginger Pierce

Ginger's midterm had gone worse than her summer. Most of it was pretty good. It was always fun to spend time with the Hernandezes during Christmastime, and she finally got to hold little Lenny who had been born just after Ginger left for school, so that was pretty awesome. And it was great to catch up with Bea and Yoko, who were starting to treat her more like an equal and less like the little cousin who had to be tolerated because she was the Matriarch's daughter and they were all assigned to the same tent.

The problem was, as it had been over the summer, with said matriarch mother. Until this summer they had always been very close and rarely butted heads over anything, so this extended and continuing feud was especially painful as Ginger really just wished they could have a happy Christmas break together, but Mom was still harping on the seventeen year old boyfriend thing.

"Ginger, hon, he's going to graduate this year and you're not even in advanced classes yet."

"Sweetheart, I don't think this boy is a good match for you."

"I don't need to meet him to know this will only end in heartache, baby."

And then, finally, the worst one, just before getting back on the wagon.

"Gigi," Mom hadn't called her Gigi since she was six, "I didn't want to bring class into this, I didn't want to make it about that, but the Mangers, sweetheart, the Mangers don't, Jacob Manger is a pureblood of the same sort as the New Hampshire branch."

Ginger had denied it, of course, Jake was nothing like that kind of pureblood. But as she rode the wagon back to school, she remembered. She remembered Jemima was that sort too, and so was Owen, and they were both perfectly nice to her, but but Sonora was a special bubble where status outside the school didn't matter very much between Teppenpaws. Even Alistair Johnson of the Arizona Johnsons (who she had asked Mother about back when he was heading up the newly combined forces of Teppalus) was nice to her at school and he wasn't even a Teppenpaw.

But now Jake would be leaving the bubble soon.

She cried into Lauren's coat even as she hoped her mother was wrong. There were loads of Pierces in the world, surely there were more Mangers than one society family. But in her heart, Ginger knew Mom had her connections, that Mom was the matriarch of the richest of the Pierce branches and this was not something she was likely to make a mistake about.

When they got to school, she found Jake and tried to be cheery for their reunion, but as soon as the feast was laid out, she had to know. "Is me being a half blood going to be a problem after you graduate?"

1 Ginger Pierce A rocky patch 302 Ginger Pierce 0 5

Fabian Brockert

December 10, 2016 6:14 AM

Memories by Fabian Brockert

Fabian couldn't say he was ever happy to return to school. He had never been all that academically minded-in fact, for the most part, he didn't care for academics much at all. Maybe that was part of the reason he didn't care for most Aladrens much. There was a lack of common ground to start with and then they walked around like their crap didn't stink because they thought they were better and smarter than everyone else?

Plus the fact they'd dominated for Quidditch for such a long time like it was something that truly even mattered. Especially given the fact that a good many of them weren't even (or hadn't been) on those winning teams and therefore, were not responsible for the success of said teams any more than Fabian was responsible for Pecari's win last year. Yet they'd let it go to their heads along with of course, thinking themselves smarter than everyone else. Which wasn't even necessarily true given Savannah was more intellectually inclined than Amity and she was a Teppenpaw.

Of course, Amity might have been smarter. There was a difference between the two as Fabian sure as hell didn't consider himself stupid, no matter what know-it-all Aladrens thought and his own sister, who'd been a Pecari like himself, had always won Most Logical back when it was a thing. Yet, he didn't care much for academic matters. He liked the practical aspects of lessons, even Herbology despite resenting having to take the extra class. Fabian loved the outdoors and Herbology and COMC lent themselves to that well. It was useful ifone wanted to live off the land. not that he'd probably ever have to or actually would ever since he was a Brockert and therefore more or less synonomous with being a rich kid but it had always been a fun game as a child, he'd had a fort and had always been able to coerce Kira, something that wasn't hard, into playing with him, sometimes with their older siblings if it was just the five of them, or even Ryan if he was around too.

Fabian smiled, remember it all fondly. The girls had brought their dolls and they'd had a little homestead like people had before things got more civilized. Stuffed animals became pets, people or wild animals to battle depending. Sometimes, they'd even pretend to be their ancestors though there wasn't the right number of boys and girls. Sometimes a stuffed cat had been Jonas Brockert who'd been a panther animagus-nobody had had a stuffed panther for some reason-and he'd just stayed in animagus form. Or they'd be Silas's sons, making Fabian Jonas who was the youngest and then Arabella and Serena had to be married to Ryan and Tristan which at the time they had not thought about as gross because they were little kids playing pretend. He remembered Ryan making a convincing William based on most of their family history suggesting the two being similar in manner. They usually had Kira be Sophia Brockert, Silas's daughter rather than Jonas' wife though. If the twins happened to be around too, it usually made things change up a little. Occasionally, they all put on plays for the adults as where they were their ancestors too, these including Amity, Chaslyn and Kelsey. Natalie and Uncle Seth's kids had been too young-Lavender not even born yet along with Gabriel.

Sometimes he missed those days, being a kid. When things were all fun, no responsibility. Or at least it seemed that way. Of course, they'd have Proper Pureblood Lessons and Fabian had ended up having to be the dance partner for both Kira and Kelsey, which had been miserable all around given Kelsey would yell at him for not doing things right much more than the dance tutor did and Kira would turn his toes black and blue because she was a terrible dancer. Kira was probably his favorite cousin, she was such a sweet person but Fabian wondered how Daniel Fintoc had survived the ball last year with his feet intact. Kira and Daniel seemed to be friends now and he knew that the third year had given Kira one of the many candy canes she'd recieved, so hopefully that meant that Daniel saw past the terrible dancer to the kind-hearted person that Kira was.

Headmaster Brockert finished his-well, Fabian could hardly call it a speech, it was more of a greeting, loathe as he was to say something nice about an Aladren who wasn't a close relative like his father or Amity or Aunt Jana, he appreciated that Father's cousin was a man of few words-and Fabian gazed around the table, reaching for a plate of barbecued ribs. Unfortunately someone else managed to pick up the same plate at the exact same time. Fabian decided to be the bigger, more well mannered person and let go. "Can I have that when you're done?" He asked. "And then can you pass me the mashed potatoes?" They were closer to the other person as well.

11 Fabian Brockert Memories 321 Fabian Brockert 0 5

Lily Spencer

December 10, 2016 1:44 PM

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. by Lily Spencer

The moment Lily arrived back at Sonora she wanted to sing at the familiar sight. She hopped out of the wagon to stretch her limbs after the long ride. She'd been wearing a hat the entire way so no one could see or comment on her shockingly short hair. Eventually she would have to unveil the much nicer haircut than the atrocity she'd attempted on her own last term for Hallowe'en, but she wasn't quite ready yet.

Cascade Hall was warm and a stark contrast to the chilly English weather she'd just come from. She unwrapped her scarf and tossed it into her bedroom along with her coat before joining the others in Cascade Hall for the Returning Feast. Whilst the Welcoming Feast felt so new, the Returning Feast had a warm atmosphere about it as friends caught up and exchanged gifts. She had two gifts in hand with her as well: one was a glass Italian pen set from their short family trip to Venice and the other was a lovely Italian scarf. The first was for Jozua, the second for Madeleine. One day, when she was old enough, she would visit France during a holiday to see her.

It was difficult not to smile as she sat down at the Pecari table again. She greeted her classmates and friends warmly before the Headmaster gave his speech. A yawn interrupted her, but right then Jozua swooped by with a gift for her. "Oh!" Lily's eyes were watering from the especially large yawn and she laughed when it passed. "You always catch me at my best moments. Thank you! Here, I've got yours." She passed the wrapped parcel over to him. "I hope you like it."

There was no way even the Headmaster's extremely brief speech was going to keep her from unwrapping her gift, but when she saw what was inside her eyes brightened. "It's just like Sherlock Holmes!" she exclaimed. Their make-believe last term with "Flora" had been brilliant fun and now she had another hat to add to her new collection. "Oh, I should've gotten you a pipe instead," she said. "It would've gone so well with your character."

Lily removed her winter cap, revealing her short brown hair underneath. "What d'you think of my haircut?" she asked, grinning at him. "Mum says I look like a proper boy, but I don't care." She pulled Jozua's gift onto her head. "It fits perfectly! Thank you! Do I look like Sherlock Holmes yet?" Lily was very pleased, though she didn't know what she looked like with it on, and began putting food onto her plate. Steak and mash sounded lovely right about now.

"Yes, it was brilliant. I met some Muggle boys who showed me how to play football. I'll have to show you sometime, it's loads of fun. There's Alex, Edgar, Tom, Peter and Geoff. Geoff's the nicest one; he showed me how to dribble the ball. He's a year older than us and he's really athletic. He knows so much about football; he wants to be a star, but I don't think his parents can afford to send him to join a club. I like him a lot, he's fun to be around. But Merlin, Jozua, I did the stupidest thing. When they asked me what my name was, I told them my name was Liam. I don't know why I did it, but now I can't go back! They'll shun me for sure if they find out I'd lied to them all winter, won't they?" Lily cut her steak viciously and stuffed it into her mouth. "Merlin, I could kill myself." She felt gloomy whenever she thought about it, but the way Geoff looked at her made her feel warm inside. She didn't want to lose that.

"So that was the highlight of my midterm. My family went to Venice for a week after Christmas as well with my grandparents, but you already know that cos I sent you a postcard from there." Lily, as always, realised she'd been talking far too much only after she'd said what she'd wanted. "How was your midterm? Did you get to meet with your friends back home?"

40 Lily Spencer It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. 357 Lily Spencer 0 5

Luke Powell

December 10, 2016 5:14 PM

Life could be worse. by Luke Powell

Midterm had been awesome. He’d spent so much time in the water, surfing those waves like there was no tomorrow. Because well, really, he’d known that sooner or later that would be the case. The break was far too short.

Now he was back to boarding school with confinement, rules and dumb lessons - although some of the practical lessons could actually be pretty sick. At least he’d had the exciting discovery of the water room in MARS the previous semester. He’d found that it could generate surfable waves and whilst there were restrictions on size and the sets got predictable, it was far better than nothing.

He wasn’t the sort of person to be invited to stuffy society events so he hadn’t seen any of his schoolmates over the holiday, besides of course Joella who he saw every year on Boxing Day. He’d also gone to watch the Sweetwater All-Stars home game with her and Grampa which was always a fun outing. Joella was an avid fan of the Texas based Quidditch team and since Luke had become more interested in the sport prior to Sonora he had started to follow them too.

It had been a shame not to have Jaisa to go home to, now that she’d moved back to Vancouver, but at least his Quidditch had improved and he surprised the Kinsell brothers with a few new tricks. Luke hoped that he’d make some good mates this semester. He’d sent a few of those candygram things to some of the girls in his year, but that was just because they were pretty and not because they were particular friends of his.

Luke was glad that the headmaster didn’t have much to say and he could get straight to filling his hungry stomach. He was a growing boy and very active so he never had to worry about where all the food went, which he knew from being raised by women was quite a concern for some people.

“Hey, pass me the pasta, would you?” Luke asked, setting his drink down after having a healthy glug of pumpkin juice. “Please,” he added, because he was a mummy’s boy and she always told him to say please and thank you, even though he personally thought his request wouldn’t have been impolite without it.

8 Luke Powell Life could be worse. 374 Luke Powell 0 5

Aislinn Nicolls

December 11, 2016 12:35 AM

My secret is out by Aislinn Nicolls

Aislinn had been looking forward to returning to school. That was until she had found out that Sutton had sent John a candygram revealing Aislinn’s feelings. She wasn’t sure what was worse. That John knew now that she liked him or that it had been done in such a prosaic way. Saying ‘I like you’ seemed to leave one with absolutely no distinction. It wasn’t special in any way. Anybody could say it. He probably had lots of girls that said such things to him, such as Gia.

Before they had gotten into their argument, Sutton had reassured her that Gia and John were NOT dating. However, she still thought that the other girl liked John. And it wasn’t as if she could blame her. John was fantastic. Oh, no! What if he thought that the candygram that she really had sent was from Gia? What if it was what ultimately brought them together? All of her Aladren logical went flying out the window when it came to him.

She shifted uncomfortably. They were at the Returning Feast and there was a chance that John was sitting at this very table. However, he was probably sitting with Gia. They probably exchanged letters over the holiday. A sigh slipped out of her lips. She hadn’t dared to look up from the book that she was pretending to be engrossed in just so she wouldn’t have to face the reality of her imagination. Even if he wasn’t with Gia. He still might be around and she didn’t know what to do if he was. It was absolutely humiliating that he knew how she felt. She had never been so embarrassed in her life and it was all Sutton’s fault!

She closed her eyes and took a calming breath, which really did nothing to relieve her stress of the situation at all. She was going to have to put her book down long enough to eat unless she decided that she was going to go on a diet for the rest of the year. Opening her eyes, she moved her book enough to glare over at Sutton, before placing it down completely. How could she have done that to her? Her sister, no, not just her sister, her twin was supposed to be on her side. Instead, she was probably on Gia’s.

Admittedly, she didn’t know the other girl very well, but she couldn’t help being jealous of her. Gia was beautiful with her dark hair and olive complexion. If that weren’t enough, she was fun and popular. She could get any guy she wanted, but no, she wanted John. As much as she liked John, she rationally knew that guys would come and go, but sisters were supposed to be forever. But now, even, Gia had that! Her own sister may as well have been Gia’s now. She was so frustrated by the entire situation.

Aislinn had been so absorbed in her thoughts that she hadn’t even realized that she had been staring at the person in front of her. “Oh, I’m sorry. I…Please pass the rolls.” She just wanted to bang her head on the table. She felt so stupid.

0 Aislinn Nicolls My secret is out 297 Aislinn Nicolls 0 5

Jake Manger

December 12, 2016 1:10 AM

More like a mountain, but it's okay 'cos I'd move 'em by Jake Manger

Midterm was always a delightful time for Jake. His natural cheeriness translated well into festivity, with Christmas excitement abounding. He loved Sonora, he really did, but it was so nice to go back to his family again and spend the holiday with them. He had spent a major part of his life as the youngest child, but it was so much more fun to watch his little sister Peyton open her gifts from Santa on Christmas morning. And the ever-growing Crosby clan’s annual gathering was anything but dull, with somebody always having something to say. They were a fun bunch.

New Year’s Eve had been interesting this year, too, as Jake had gotten to attend Arnold’s party. It’d been a little crowded for his tiny college apartment, but it was nice to be included with his friends, all of whom were obviously older than Jake. Most of the people he knew from their days as Arnold’s Sonora gang; other than Ava’s gaggle of Applebaums, the other new person there was Arnold’s roommate’s girlfriend and new friend, Desiree. He spent a lot of time that night talking to her. He liked her immediately; there was just something about her, and she was such a good listener!

But now he was back at school, which was also good because that meant seeing other friends and especially Ginger. The Head Boy was super excited to be reunited with his girlfriend, even though they’d only been apart for a couple weeks. Being with her always made him so very happy.

...Except for right now, when the thing she said made him totally freak out inside. Jake narrowly avoided a spit-take as Ginger immediately asked him a very poignant question: “Is me being a halfblood going to be a problem when you leave Sonora?”

A halfblood? She was a halfblood?! Jake didn’t personally care about these things even a little, but he knew a lot of people in his family circle did, that these “society rules” meant something to them. It was why Sally had to keep her boyfriend Braxton, a Muggle, a secret to just about everyone. But he had not known that Ginger was a halfblood. He’d just taken the name “Pierce” at the value he knew it for, as in the Purebloods. He didn’t have a lot of time to think about it, really, because the longer he paused, the more panic Ginger would feel, so he forced something resembling reassurance out as quickly as possible. “Well,” he began tentatively. “I’ll be honest, I… I didn’t know that about you.”

Great job so far, he thought sarcastically to himself before forcing more words. “But, uh… I mean, I have no idea what’s gonna happen when I graduate,” he continued. “I kinda do my best not to think about it because I like being here so much. With you. So I mostly just think about now. And I really, really like now.” Jake had never imagined this possibility and as such couldn’t help but technically avoid the question. Even before this, he’d never panned out farther than graduation. He’d never thought about marrying her or anything, but that was because he hadn’t ever really expected to get this far at all. Would he have married her before? Could he marry her now? Aw heck, they were just kids! He didn’t know that stuff!

12 Jake Manger More like a mountain, but it's okay 'cos I'd move 'em 280 Jake Manger 0 5

Kelsey Atwater

December 12, 2016 5:41 AM

A proper young lady by Kelsey Atwater

Midterm had been absolutely lovely for Kelsey, all that she'd hoped for. Or rather completely expected. One ball after another. Suitor after suitor. Truth be told they were kind of a blur of pureblood males, vying for her attentions. Of course, she wasn't the only girl in that position, not even among her own relatives. Savannah was more or less spoken for despite it still being unofficial, but Scarlett and Kira were out there too.

Not that Kelsey considered either of them true competition. First of all, there were still plenty of eligible young men available, and she couldn't marry all of them. Only one. That was how it was supposed to be. Marriage was for two people only. Oh Kelsey knew all about that dreadfully savage practice held by Muggles called polygamy! She knew that they didn't all do it, but plenty of them did. It was just plain wrong and showed just how immoral Muggles could be. No self respecting pureblood woman would ever allow another woman to share her husband.

People outside their society, Muggleborns and halfbloods especially, didn't seem to understand the way things worked. They thought it was awful, that pureblood women were like commodities being traded like livestock. That was not the case at all. It was them who had no security in their lives. Muggle men threw women away all the time, divorcing them when a younger model came along. Most pureblood men-there were exceptions, such as her former uncle Jeffrey O'Malley who had divorced her aunt and married Aunt Lilac's sister-stayed with their wives. And in Mr. O'Malley's-she referred to him as Mr. O'Malley rather than Uncle Jeffrey based on the fact that he was no longer her uncle, even though he was her cousin's father and she was rather young when the scandal happened so it was easy to make the switch in her mind-case, it hadn't been quite the same thing, given Aunt Pearl was a terrible person who treated Ryan dreadfully. It wasn't as if he'd been having an affair with his new wife and divorced Aunt Pearl for her, whether or not that was what people thought.

Oh, sure, sometimes pureblood men made mistakes too. Were seduced by loose women like Emmy Lou Scott's mother. Because they would do things like that that they got nothing from in the end gratifying their more base instincts. Women like Kelsey were made of better stuff. They weren't as disposable.

Of course, keeping men away from those sorts of women were why women had to be of a certain caliber. If they were lacking, men would find ways to satisfy those desires that were not being met. However, those women were only good for one thing, and men would always come back to those like herself.

Anyway, she was sure she was a better catch than Scarlett or Kira. Scarlett was a Pecari, that meant there was something more...wild about her. The qualities of that house were not desirable ones for a lady to have. Scarlett might have been a woman of good breeding too, though Aunt Melinda's line was not as good as that of Kelsey's father but there was obviously something in her character that got her placed there. It made the Crotalus shudder to think her own little sister contained the same slight defect of character as her cousin. There was a reason Atwaters didn't go in that house.

Kelsey blamed Scarlett, she really did. Somehow she-and Fabian-had led Natalie astray. Fabian probably more so since he'd always done his best to annoy her at every turn. All she wanted was for her little sister to be the ideal lady that she herself was. Why was that so much to ask?

The fifth year had made a vow to herself when it happened, her younger sister's Sorting. She would never ever allow her own children to spend too much time around any Pecari relatives in their early years. Not allow those influences to pollute her children. Her daughters would be perfect little ladies like herself. She would see to it. Dedicate her life to it.

As for Kira, well, Kelsey supposed that she was better than Scarlett was since she was more of a lady as suggested by her Sorting, but she was much too soft, weak. Desperate to impress. And she was not nearly as comfortable in social situations as she should be. Suitors would certainly flock to Kelsey over either of them and she was sure she could had have pick.

Once Headmaster Brockert finished speaking, Kelsey reached for some turkey and salad. Once she had served herself-small portions of course, it would never do for a proper woman to let herself go especially as she was of betrothing age, not to mention that it was unattractive in itself for a lady to indulge her base desires-she turned to her closest dining companion, a member of proper society as Kelsey always took good care to surround herself with nothing else as that above all was important, and asked "Did you have an enjoyable midterm?"

11 Kelsey Atwater A proper young lady 305 Kelsey Atwater 0 5

Emilia-Louise Scott

December 12, 2016 5:43 AM

Living the good life. (tag: Tasha) by Emilia-Louise Scott

Emmy-Lou loved being at Sonora, but going home for Christmas was something she always looked forward to. There were always ups and downs to her holidays, the downs usually related to having to spend time with her paternal family, but all in all she thought that this year’s midterm had been an especially good one.

She was really making strides in the fashion industry and whilst she might still just be a young fourteen-year-old girl, she knew she was already building the foundations for a successful career. This was all provided she didn’t “peak too soon” as some of her more cynical family members would suggest when they tired of hearing about how wonderful she was over the break. Emmy thought she had a right to enjoy hearing people sing her praises, given how all her life she’d been aware of people doing quite the opposite every time she went to any fancy events.

Not only this but the New Year’s party had involved the unexpected and she wasn’t sure what to think. Kissing at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve was just a tradition. She kept telling herself that but it didn’t change the fact that Mitch had kissed her, out of all the other girls at the party.

Now that her new line had been successfully launched, she would be able to re-focus her attention on running Fashion Club and the Fundraising Committee. She had to admit, as dubious as she had been about Laila’s Spirit Club to begin with, her classmate had turned out to be a great help with the Fundraising Committee. Initially it had been something of an irritation for Emmy that when she finally decided to start up her committee, the Crotalus had gone and set up her own club which seemed to overlap in so many areas. But given her hectic workload in the first semester of term, it had worked out rather well and she knew she should be thankful to Laila for that.

It had actually been fun working with Laila too. The different purposes of their clubs suggested that they had a difference in motivation but it was nice to be able to work with someone who was equally as invested and dedicated to their club and events as Emmy was herself.

The headmaster’s welcome had to be the shortest one he’d delivered so far. It made Emmy wonder why he was even in such a job, how he had even been appointed to the job, if he was such a dull and uninspiring man. It seemed strange that the school had such hard-working and friendly staff but the leader of them all didn’t reflect that whatsoever.

The small blonde helped herself to a dish of risotto, glancing across the table as she did so. Tasha DuBois was sat opposite her. She was a familiar face, especially now that they shared classes again, but Emmy hadn’t had much to do with the younger Aladren before. The girl seemed nice, although she made that assumption about pretty much everyone unless given a reason to believe otherwise.

“Hi, I hope you had a nice break,” Emmy smiled warmly at her housemate. “Can I pass you anything?” she offered without prompt. Good manners were something she’d always been taught to value and she really did.

8 Emilia-Louise Scott Living the good life. (tag: Tasha) 313 Emilia-Louise Scott 0 5

Chuck Fintoc

December 12, 2016 5:48 AM

Careful what you wish for. [tag: Gia] by Chuck Fintoc

When Chuck had first asked Gia if she’d be his “date” to the midsummer ball, her response had been so enthusiastic that he’d been encouraged to believe that there was a chance that she could see him as something more than a friend.

But then his illusion had been shattered. She’d acted as though they were not a couple at the ball but instead and trio with Sammy, whom she kept trying to either dance with herself or push Chuck upon. It wasn’t that Chuck didn’t like Sammy because quite the opposite was the case. As far as he was concerned, she’d been his friend since the opening feast in their first year, and she continued to provide him with such great entertainment and companionship that he just knew that wasn’t going to change. So it was nothing personal, just a frustration that he’d landed himself in such a situation.

He’d considered it quite likely all along but the ball had confirmed it. Chuck was friend zoned.

So he’d been trying to give it up, these feelings that Gia stirred in him. Unfortunately with these things you couldn’t just snap your fingers and have it go away. It was a process of demolishing all lingering hope that something would come of it and in the meantime he could do nothing more than ignore it.

Only that was a struggle when he received the candygram. He had tried to tell himself that he was reading too much into things, and that the connotations of her wording wouldn’t even occur to Gia (for whom English was not her native tongue), but why else would she say that? Let's make a date after midterm. They were in the same year and house so it was easy for them to catch each other and hang out, so he couldn’t help but wonder what she meant by it.

“Does this ‘date’ suit you?” Chuck said with a wink when he sat down across from Gia at the Pecari table. He didn’t know why he did it, because she probably wouldn’t get the teasing intention of it, certainly if there had been no thought behind the words on her candy cane message.

He waited for the headmaster to say his few uninspired words, before returning his attention to Gia.

“So how’ve you been? How was your break?” he asked quite casually, helping himself to some beef as he awaited her reply.

8 Chuck Fintoc Careful what you wish for. [tag: Gia] 309 Chuck Fintoc 0 5

Finn Scott

December 12, 2016 12:10 PM

Feeling at home by Finn Scott

Christmas was definitely Finn’s favourite holiday, and this year’s celebrations hadn’t disappointed. It had been so relaxing to be at home with his parents, pets, and other family members, and the addition of Christmas events had made things even better. The Maryland Scotts kept Christmas Day and Boxing Day just as a time for the immediate family, which consisted of Finn, his parents, his grandparents, his aunt and uncle, and his cousins (Rihana and Roxana). It was a slight disappointment to him that they were going to be home-schooled instead of going to Sonora, but he supposed it wouldn’t change things from how they were now, and they always made up for the time apart when he was at home. Living so near to them, the three had been brought up more like siblings than just cousins.

The rest of the holidays had been spent as usual, with the addition of various social events, both those hosted by his family and by others. The Scotts believed in letting their children have a childhood, so Finn wasn’t expected to attend serious balls and act like a mini-adult, but he still went to smaller parties, and those aimed at people more his age, so he’d had his fair share of fun and frolics.

But Sonora was fun too, and after one and a half years Finn felt like he was growing in confidence. He’d always been good at getting on with things, despite feeling nervous, but life at Sonora had become routine and didn’t faze him any longer. Sure, he still liked to partner the same people in class, but that was because he liked to put time and effort into his friendships. He’d enjoyed working with other people occasionally last term, such as Conrad, and was finally realising that two close friends weren’t very many. This wasn’t to say he didn’t value Juniper and Jozua, but other people were interesting too.

With this on his mind, and still feeling relaxing and refreshed from his active holidays, Finn turned to the person next to him with a smile. “How were your holidays?” he asked. “Glad to be back?”

9 Finn Scott Feeling at home 347 Finn Scott 0 5

Sutton Nicolls

December 12, 2016 8:48 PM

And here I am again. by Sutton Nicolls

Midterm had been fun. Sutton had gone out almost every night with her friends. She wished that she had the same sort of group at Sonora that she did at home, but she felt that she had never really fit in. It wasn’t that anyone did anything to cause her not to like them and she didn’t think that she had done anything to them. It was simply that she didn’t feel like she belonged in the magical world and thus, had never taken any effort to form relationships. It was something that she was beginning to regret now. Though, she had grown closer to Gia and had even exchanged letters over break, which made her feel a little less upset over having to come back to school.

Of course, it hadn’t helped that the other person that she counted on was angry at her. She really didn’t see what the big deal was. Okay, so she had sent a candygram to John. And she had signed Aislinn’s name. But if she hadn’t, then nothing would ever happen. Aislinn would just be crushing on John and John would never know. Besides, maybe John would return her feelings. Or maybe not. Either way, Aislinn would know, then she could move on with or without John. It was better than being stuck in limbo. If anything, her sister should be thanking her for having her back. She only wanted to see Aislinn happy. And if John wasn’t the one to make that happen, then she deserved to find someone else that would care about her.

An odd sensation trickled up her neck as if someone were staring. Sutton knew even before she looked that it was Aislinn. She might have been across the room, but she could still feel the anger vibrating from her sister. Daring to meet her gaze, Sutton cringed slightly. She wished that Aislinn would stop being angry and just forgive her already, but there was not much else she could do except wait it out. She knew better than try to approach her sister before she was ready to talk. Until then, she would have to just take her mind off of it.

Pulling out her sketch pad, she put it on the table, moving her salad to the other side so that she could draw and eat at the same time. Taking a bite, she chewed slowly looking around for a distraction. Finding one, she began working on the profile, a jaw line here, a bit for the nose. Forgetting her salad, she pulled her pad closer to her. Her tongue stuck out slightly to the side, a habit that she tended towards when deep in concentration. She was so involved that she didn’t hear the person talking to her. Looking up with a guilty and apologetic expression. “Oh, I’m sorry. I tend to get involved in my work. What did you say?”

0 Sutton Nicolls And here I am again. 311 Sutton Nicolls 0 5

John Umland

December 12, 2016 9:57 PM

I am having a completely normal evening, I am. by John Umland

Leaving home was never one of John’s favorite things to do. At home, he had his mom and dad, his childhood friends, and all his brothers and his sister around him, and he could be himself. At school, he had responsibilities and a roommate he was nearly certain was a werewolf and had to carefully regulate himself for those reasons and not drawing suspicion or undue attention from the Overlords. One of these things was, even with the perks Sonora had, clearly easier to be in than the other.

This year, though, John found himself particularly reluctant to return to his formal education. Just before midterm, candygrams had gone out, and to his surprise, he had received some. Some had been ordinary: Clark, a few of the Book Club, but then there had been…others.

One of those, admittedly, he thought he might have a suspect for. He suspected Emmy-Lou. The other two, however, had disturbed him. One of these, admittedly, was because it had just been disturbing - an anonymous individual was observing him and apparently considered him perfect. On one hand this did sound nice enough, but on the other hand, John had read enough mystery novels in his life to know how that sort of thing could end. If he suddenly did something this...individual…didn’t consider perfect, he or she might decide axe murder was warranted. John didn’t want to be axe murdered. It was the other Unexpected Candy, though, which made him reluctant to go about his daily life at school. It had been extremely to the point, leaving little room for ambiguity; he had shown it to Joanie and Joe and Paul and Julian just to make sure he was interpreting it correctly, but they had all disappointed him by assuring him, generally through laughter, that he was. Aislinn Nicolls, if this was not the set-up for a nasty practical joke, fancied him.

There were more problems with this than John cared to think about. For one thing, they lived in the same House and she was in the Book Club. This was going to be awkward as anything. For another thing, Aislinn’s participation in Book Club meant John had sent her a message, which for all he knew, she had taken as encouragement. For a third thing, he had no idea how to deal with this kind of thing.

John was not attractive. He had made his peace with this fact. His appearance above the neck was, it seemed, sufficiently off-putting to females of his species that it was a good thing that he was not greatly troubled by any overwhelming desires to reproduce. He had danced with an alien last year because he couldn’t do better. He compared his features to William Welles’ and had to admit that Billy Boy’s were more regular in every respect. If the note meant what everyone he had asked said it meant, then Aislinn was presumably going on personality - which was itself, based on his examination of the factors that seemed to compile into attractiveness, unlikely, but, well, Pennsylvania was an Aladren. He got on well with his fellows. He’d happily talk theory with Aislinn, but he didn’t know what exactly what she wanted and therefore did not know if he would or even could give it to her. Plus there was the creepy stalker; that person could decide to get axe-happy on a rival, and John frankly didn’t really want anyone at Sonora to get axe murdered - not even the Ollies, though that was in some measure due to self-interest, so there was no chance they could pin it on him….

Since dropping out of school was not something he was allowed to do, though, he kept his eyes fixed entirely on a seat at the Aladren table as he entered the Hall. Reaching it, trying to act normal, he cast a furtive glance around to make sure the coast was clear to sit and spotted his...admirer further down the table. His eyes snapped back to the front as he sat down, involuntarily rubbing the back of his neck before he realized it.

This was not working. It had to work, though, until he could think of something better. He made a show of listening intently to Brockert and then to filling his plate with food.

“It’s too bad the food can’t be this good all the time, isn’t it?” he asked someone, attempting small talk in his desperation.

16 John Umland I am having a completely normal evening, I am. 285 John Umland 0 5

Ayla Tremaine

December 12, 2016 10:02 PM

Home is where the heart is by Ayla Tremaine

Ayla was glad to be back at Sonora. Her “break” had been anything but a break. She’d been on a trip to visit Kit in Connecticut, swung by Sawyer’s restaurant in Massachusetts, attended the obligatory huge Tremaine family Christmas gathering, as well as the firm’s yearly party, and every other waking moment was filled by some game or tea party with her siblings. She was ready for a break from the chaos--and from Milo. He’d been particularly obnoxious over the holidays, picking on her anytime he had the chance. She only had half a year left at Sonora without him, and she was determined to make the most of it. The first year felt like it was her responsibility to build up the family name amongst her classmates, so that maybe her reputation would be able to survive the havoc that her brother was sure to wreak upon his arrival next term.

Part of this plan included meeting as many people as she could, so even though she had plenty of gifts to deliver to her friends, that was going to have to wait.The petite blonde found a seat next to one of the second year boys she recognized from class, and flashed him a dimpled smile as the Headmaster began his welcoming speech. She expected some long speech, welcoming them back, and maybe covering more fair details or something. Nope. To Ayla’s surprise, there was no such speech, and instead, the food began to fill the table. She was fine with the brevity though, that just meant she’d have more time to chat, and boy did she like to chat.

She had just dished herself up some sweet potatoes when the older boy asked her about her holiday. “Good! Busy, but good. My mom and I went to visit some of my friends on the East coast. The weather definitely wasn’t what we’re used to, being from California, but it was beautiful! My family always has two big parties too, one for the family and a second for our law firm. They were both fun, but I’m glad to be back. I missed my friends here, and am glad to be rid of my brother for the time being.” Ayla said with a smile. “How were yours? Did you get to do anything fun over the break?”

5 Ayla Tremaine Home is where the heart is 367 Ayla Tremaine 0 5

Farrah Welsh

December 12, 2016 10:18 PM

Returning to normal (Tag Georgia and Kellen) by Farrah Welsh

Farrah’s midterm had been pretty fantastic up until she ran into Julie Stein. The big vacation had been announced at Christmas and Farrah had found out that they would be going to Holland for a couple of weeks that summer. Her dad said that they would probably go to Amsterdam and maybe one other place while they were there, so her passport would be stamped quite a few times. It wasn’t France, which she was hoping she would be able to tell her roommate, but still, it was in the right area and maybe that would be impressive to Madeleine?

She had also been able to shop for gifts for her friends. After she had sent them off, she thought that perhaps they were too childish for her friends and they would laugh at the gifts or find her too childish to hang out with anymore. Her mom told her that she was thinking too much about it. The gifts were sweet and she was sure that Farrah’s friends would love them. She really hoped that was the case. She had even bought a matching scarf of the one that she had bought Kellen because, well, who didn’t love dragons? But if she was wearing hers and Kellen didn’t like his at all, she would just feel dumb.

Aside from her second thoughts on her gifts, Farrah had convinced her parents to let her see her friends during the summer. She was thinking of maybe having them over separately or seeing if Georgia wanted to come over and then maybe Farrah could visit Kellen? She would work the details out with them later; that is, if they even wanted to hang out over the summer. She and Kellen had talked about it already, but she hadn’t yet had a chance to talk about it with Georgia.

Those were the good moments at home. The bad included a very annoying Corra who had suddenly decided that playing the Harp was the coolest thing ever and Julie Bell. Julie Bell had once been her friend, but something changed her when she went into the seventh grade. Puberty. Puberty changed her. She had all the right looks that got her into the cool crowd. Farrah hadn’t known any of this but when she spotted Julie at the local pond, Farrah had tried talking to her only to be laughed at and shamed in front of everyone by her former friend. It had been horrifying. Her other friends had gone off on family getaways, so they hadn’t been around to warn her. She had never seen someone change so quickly. After that, Farrah had stayed away from the public pond and just ice skated at the pond on her property.

Bu she was back at Sonora now and life was much better here. She was really looking forward to seeing her friends again. She took a seat at a semi empty part of a table and looked around for Georgia and Kellen. Since things were lenient here during the Return Feast, she thought it would be okay if they all sat together. When she spotted them, she waved them over and patted the seats around her. “Hi!” She greeted eagerly. “How was your holiday?”

OOC: Farrah’s shopping adventure can be found here

6 Farrah Welsh Returning to normal (Tag Georgia and Kellen) 344 Farrah Welsh 0 5

Kellen Mormont

December 13, 2016 3:51 AM

Awkward is my new normal by Kellen Mormont

Nothing says “Merry Christmas” like surprise therapy sessions with your entire “family”. Kellen likely should have seen it coming, but it definitely wasn’t how he wanted to spend his break from school. He was pretty in touch with his feelings, and didn’t want to have to share them with people who, in reality, didn’t care about them to begin with. The prospect of having to reveal some of the terrible things Adam had said to him, and his mother, made him sick to his stomach. He knew his step brother would only deny them anyhow, and then his step mother would go off on a tirade about lying, and who would Kellen make up such horrible lies about her precious, perfect son. It was all a big waste of time. Time he could have spent reading, hanging out at the comic shop, or learning how to shave. He hadn’t been away from school long, but Kellen was starting to notice an ugly, patchy shadow of a mustache growing on his lip. With 13 just around the corner, he was very well aware that he was in the throes of puberty. Awesome. As if he needed help to be anymore awkward.

The bright spot of his break, was receiving a Christmas gift from Farrah. After the candy gram she’d sent him (which caused all sorts of feelings), he wasn’t expecting anything. Her friendship was more than he could ask for, and she still sent him a super cool dragon scarf anyway. Kellen had always fancied himself a scarf guy. Particularly because some of his favorite fictional characters wore them, Tom Baker’s 4th Doctor, and Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock. He wore the scarf as often as he could, and made a point to wear it on the wagon ride back to school.

The scarf also meant that he needed to get something for Farrah as well, and though it took him a bit of time, he was pretty happy with his selection. Initially, he’d considered getting her a replica of the Evenstar necklace Arwen wore in the Lord of the Rings films. It kind of tied into them being on Team New Zealand for the fair together, but it also made him recall a very...awkward...dream he had. Yeah, probably not the best idea if he hoped to have any illusion of control over his body. Instead, he spent the better part of two afternoons combing the Hawthorne district of downtown Portland for just the right thing. When he finally found it, he just knew--it was perfect. It was fragile though, so instead of entrusting it to an owl, (even though his mother assured him it’d be fine, and that she’d cushion the crap out of it so it wouldn’t arrive shattered) Kellen penned a letter to his friend, thanking her for the gift, and letting her know that he hadn’t forgot her. This was just something better hand delivered.

His mother helped him wrap it, so it didn’t look like a wadded up piece of paper, and he decided it was best to just hold it for the ride. The wagon was bumpy, and very highly populated, so it wasn’t until he reached Cascade Hall that Kellen felt like he could breathe. He was glad to see Farrah seated at their table, and with space around her. He felt his stomach leap a little as he made his way to her, and took up one of the empty spaces next to her.

“Hey.” He said with a smile, as he gingerly placed her gift on the table in front of them. He considered telling her about the whole family therapy thing, when she asked about his holiday, but instead decided not to. The feast wasn’t really the place, and he preferred to see her happy. He wasn’t about to turn another feast into a Kellen Mormont pity party. “Decent.” He said, feeling like that wasn’t an entirely inaccurate description overall. “Yours? This is for you, by the way, sorry it’s late.” He said, pointing to the nearly wrapped object on the table. “I saw it, and it made me think of you. I hope it’s not too lame.” He said as the corner of his mouth twitched upwards. He knew the moment he saw the snow globe containing two cats, holding hands and ice skating that he needed to get it for her. Kellen found himself holding his breath as he waited for her to unwrap it. Hopefully he wasn’t wrong.

5 Kellen Mormont Awkward is my new normal 341 Kellen Mormont 0 5

Louis Valois

December 13, 2016 10:04 AM

Not the happiest of Louis by Louis Valois

It took all Louis’s effort not to rest his head on his hand as he sat there at the returning feast. Today wasn’t even over, and already it felt like it had dragged on for eternity. Manners were almost sent flying out of the window, but Louis managed to keep himself sitting nicely and upright. A glimpse of Sébastien Évreux at the Crotalus table was useful in that respect, anger helping him to stay sitting tall rather than giving in to a dramatic groan and collapsing onto Emmy, who was sitting beside him.
He’d woken up early that morning (as much as it pained him), giving himself plenty of time to get ready before the voyage to Sonora. That had proven to be a good strategy, as after breakfast his father had requested a ‘brief word’, which would not have fitted into Louis’s ideal plan of sleeping until the last minute, grabbing a croissant, and fleeing the house.

After the slightly uncomfortable conversation with his mother, Louis had expected any Ingrid discussion to be over. Obviously Sébastien had been gossiping, and making up lies for no apparent reason (and yes, Louis would be having Words with that boy sooner or later), but Louis had hoped his mother would have dismissed the younger boy’s theory after her own son had assured her that it was not at all based upon truth. Unfortunately, this did not seem to be the case.

Sitting in his father’s office, Louis had been scrutinised for a few moments before his father started talking. Louis was used to this, and just sat there at looked right back at his father, refusing to be intimidated. He wasn’t five anymore, and his father could no longer make him feel guilty for no reason.

Then had followed a fifteen-minute lecture on the importance of connections and Louis’s general bad behaviour, coupled with strict instructions to ensure the Évreux boy’s gossip was not in any way based on reality. Louis was a Valois, and so could not give an Évreux reason to suggest such things, etcetera, etcetera. Louis zoned out after the first three minutes, nodding along and adding brief agreements where necessary.

He’d heard variations of this speech various times before, and found himself wondering how much more of it he could take. There was no way he was going to force his friendship on Ingrid when she seemed so unsure about him, especially as she seemed to care more for his reputation than for his friendship, and he wasn’t going to change who he was just to make people happy. He’d gone along with his father for so many years, but now that he was starting to see the flaws in the man he’d always looked up to, he knew there was no going back.

All of this put Louis in rather a bad mood, especially as Sébastien Évreux travelled in the same wagon as him. For once not his usual sociable self, he’d got out his book and spent the journey reading (a copy of Les Misérables that he’d found in a muggle bookstore). The time spent with Emmy-Lou before the feast had lifted his spirits a bit, especially as he got to hear all her enthusiasm about her holiday, but as he became tired and hungry (and caught sight of Sébastien again, and also Ingrid) he found himself getting a little grumpier and snarkier. Emmy was obviously aware of that and, knowing him perhaps too well, she seemed to have elected to talk to Tasha DuBois, leaving Louis to drown his feelings in food.

Until, that was, the particular dish he wanted wasn’t within reach. “Could you pass me the salmon?” he asked his neighbour, making sure his voice wasn’t too off-putting. He wasn’t so grumpy as to be completely unsociable, especially when asking someone to help him. “Can I pass you anything in return?” he offered, trying to be more pleasant.

9 Louis Valois Not the happiest of Louis 314 Louis Valois 0 5

Alistair Johnson

December 13, 2016 7:36 PM

I see... by Alistair Johnson

Alistair was very fortunate that he lived some thousand miles away from Kimmy and that her family wasn’t quite as fine as his, and certainly nowhere near the same level of political and social importance, so he didn’t have to be too concerned about bumping into her at every event he attended over the break. His younger self might have actually patted himself of the back for his recent personal scores but truthfully he just felt like a jerk.

At least he hadn’t pulled a Darius and what he’d had with Kimmy had been far more responsible and respectable, but even so it was different because she was just a Colqueran, not a Curtis. But he needed to move on from that now because Kimmy was going to find a wonderful man to marry and it wouldn’t matter what they’d done as mere teenagers.

It had been the sensible thing to end it, since Alistair knew his heart wasn’t with a girl from Tennessee but with a girl at Sonora. Just who that girl may be was something to think about another time. There were far important things to be concerning himself with right now than matters of the heart.

The first Crotalus game of the year was fast approaching and he needed to make sure his team were one hundred and ten percent ready for it. Getting the post-midterm match was definitely the bum deal. Whilst it meant he had a little longer to train his team, he also had a midterm break in between that. He didn’t doubt that his teammates lacked the same control and dedication to regime as he did and thus their physical activity would have reduced dramatically and their consumption of undesirable foods increased whilst they were away.

At least they were playing Teppenpaw this time, which would be strange considering how some of those players had been his just a few years back. Looking at the team line-ups, the Crotalus captain was feeling quite confident. His team had a secret weapon, and it was going to get them the win they deserved.

Alistair did not live his life with a smile upon his face, although he was rather prone to layering on the charm when communicating with the fairer sex. Thus he offered Kelsey a small polite smile of recognition when he saw that he had sat himself near her at the Crotalus table, before turning his attention to the headmaster for a brief welcome back. He wasn’t awfully fond of any of Sonora’s members of staff at the moment, but he knew better than to be disrespectful of them. Those in authoritative positions ought to be treated as such, and that included titles such as Quidditch Captain.

“My midterm was most enjoyable, thank you for asking,” Alistair said. That was largely true, if he ignored the fact that his brother Jeremy was being a total fool. That was not something he wanted to talk about or even acknowledge and was most certainly not for Kelsey Atwater’s ears. The Crotalus decided to share a more pleasant piece of information with his friend. “My brother Zach and his wife are expecting their first child very soon, so it's an exciting time for the family.”

Alistair was looking forward to having another niece or nephew. His only current niece Penelope Miriam (his oldest brother Joshua’s daughter) was coming up to her third birthday and he wished he could see a lot more of her. Becoming an uncle had to be one of the best things that had ever happened to him.

Not only was he looking forward to the new addition to the family, but he was also proud of his older brother. Zachary would laugh at him if he ever said so, but that didn’t matter because Alistair wouldn’t. Out of his three older brothers, Ali had always seen Zach as the biggest worry for the family, if there were to be one. He was the middle child of the trio and had gone through his fair share of girlfriends. It was nice to see him finally settling down with Erica, a fine young lady who had just been misfortunate with a previous incompatible marriage, through no fault of her own.

It was funny that Zach was the one to be having his first child with a woman he was actually married to, and Jerry be the one potentially on the verge of screwing his life up. But they were all adults with lives of their own and Alistair didn’t see them enough to really stay in the loop. He just had to hope that they’d always do what was best for the family when push came to shove, because the Johnson family name was one to be upheld. His family had always taken pride in their position and all that they’d achieved so there was no way that anyone was going to take that away from them - it didn’t even bear thinking about.

“And how was your break?” Alistair returned the question as he picked up a pitcher. “Juice?” he offered quickly before he could be at risk of interrupting Kelsey’s reply.

8 Alistair Johnson I see... 306 Alistair Johnson 0 5

Sawyer Matheson

December 13, 2016 7:42 PM

Excited to return by Sawyer Matheson

Midterm had been an interesting affair to say the least. For the most part, things had been the same. He had gone to church. He had helped out at the shelter. He had eaten at the restaurant. But there were the things that had changed too. His friends were still his friends, but now they had inside jokes, ones that he wasn’t apart of. Though, in fairness, Sawyer had things too that they didn’t understand. Then, there was Jenna. She had seemed particularly moody. At least, towards him. He wasn’t sure what her issue was and when he had tried to talk to her, she had bitten his head off and told him it was none of his business, he wasn’t ever home. So, he had left her alone.

There had been fun parts too like when Ayla had stopped by for a visit. His mother had embarrassed him a little by fussing over her. And then when they had gone to Tennessee to visit family. He always loved going to Tennessee. His uncle and aunt had a farm and he got to see a lot of animals. He had told them all about his Care of Magical Creatures classes, which they had enjoyed hearing about. He thought that maybe he would work with animals someday. He wasn’t exactly sure what he wanted to do though. But it was exciting to think about. Maybe he would be a magivet or maybe even a COMC professor. Or maybe he would travel the world and discover new creatures. Maybe like Newt Scamander. He had received a couple books for Christmas about the man. He was completely awesome and had become Sawyer’s new hero.

Of course, music was still in the running. Sawyer had received a harmonica from his aunt and uncle and was having a blast learning to play it. So, maybe he would become a musician of some sort. He couldn’t imagine life without music. It was just a part of who he was. Honestly, he really had no idea what he wanted to do with his life and he was glad that he didn’t have to decide now. That decision was still aways a way. However, he did have to decide what he wanted to eat. Just as with the opening feast, there was a bounty to choose from. This was not to say that he hadn’t enjoyed the restaurant’s finest, but there were some things here that he couldn’t get there like the green stuff that he still didn’t know the name of. It tasted good on the ground meat he had though mixed with cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes. He was about to take a bite when someone asked him to pass something.

After he handed it over, the blonde boy asked, “How was your holiday? Mine was good, but I’m glad to be back and can’t wait to give gifts.” He had brought back packages of homemade cookies for each of those he considered his friends (whether or not they thought so) – Ayla, Gwen, Kir, Flo, Winston, and Emerald. For Ayla, he had also gotten sheet music so that she could write down her ideas. For Kir, who had to put up with a lot being his roommate, he had done something different, which would involve his parents and the church. He wanted to help more become involved with helping others. His gift to Kir was more of an idea. As for Emerald, he hadn’t known what to get her. A book had seemed rather impersonal, but he wanted it to be something she would like as well. In the end, he had gotten her a scarf in a pretty purple pattern. He had no idea how she would take it. The gifts were safely tucked in a bag that he had with him. He wanted to give his gifts to everyone once they had finished eating.

0 Sawyer Matheson Excited to return 365 Sawyer Matheson 0 5

Tasha DuBois

December 14, 2016 1:53 PM

Indeed by Tasha DuBois

Tasha's midterm had been amazing . As soon as she'd signed up for Ethiopia, she'd written to her parents and told them, stating that she didn't even remember ever going there. Mother had written her back, that yes, they had visited Ethiopia when Tasha was three, but if she wanted they could go back over midterm.

The Aladren didn't really need much encouragement. Going there would more fun than Grandfather and Step-Grandmother's house at Yule since Mother didn't like Mrs. Royce who was Step-Grandmother's mom, the feeling was mutual, Great Aunt Margo bringing her girlfriend Sandra seemed to make people uncomfortable-Mrs. Royce's presence made that one worse too- and Aunt Tawny didn't seem to like anyone other than her husband, son and maternal grandfather. Plus, Aunt Pippa had just found out she was pregnant, so she had surely been the center of attention, something that made Aunt Tawny even more overall hostile. Besides, Mother said being pregnant made Aunt Pippa teary which Aunt Tawny had way too much fun with.

Yeah, Ethiopia all the way. Besides, Tasha had been in America too long.

And it had been worth it! For one thing, Ethiopian food was amazing. The third year really loved inerja which was a spongey, slightly sour flatbread served with most meals. There was also wat which was a stew made with berbere which was a mixture of spices and niter kibeh rich was a seasoned butter used in Ethiopian cooking.

“Hi, I hope you had a nice break. Can I pass you anything?” .

Tasha blinked. She hadn't even realized the feast had begun but of course Headmaster Brockert never said much that wasn't necessary. He apparently didn't think there was much to say at the Returning Feast that was worth saying as usual. "I guess the duck." Duck was one of her favorites but truth be told, she wanted Ethiopian food again. "And it was lovely, I went to Ethiopia. How was yours?" Tasha asked.

11 Tasha DuBois Indeed 323 Tasha DuBois 0 5

Clark Dill

December 14, 2016 2:04 PM

I acknowledge your normality. Where's my gift? by Clark Dill

Clark had a great break. He had sent out early admission college applications over the summer and into September, and he'd already gotten two responses back, one of them even offering a solid financial aid package and a good scholarship offer. It wasn't his first choice - which had been CalTech, where dad went and which hadn't sent him either an acceptance or a rejection yet, but he was seriously considering the offer he had gotten.

He had already declined the one that hadn't come with a financial package, because he'd only applied to the University of Maryland in case his top choices had all rejected him or refused to help him financially. As a Maryland resident, he qualified for the lower tuition there. However, his second choice (well, second after Stanford, which had sent him a rejection letter in late November; Happy Thanksgiving to them, too) had already come through for him, with a financial package he thought was reasonably affordable for university tuition definitions of the word. It might only put him into debt for 15-20 years rather than life.

He was still holding out for a good answer from CalTech, or possibly University of Toronto, which he'd mostly applied to just to see if he could get international acceptance (and hey, John might go there, which was totally not why he'd applied but it would be very awesome if they both ended up there) so nothing was definite yet, aside from him NOT going to UMD.

He was kind of glad to be back at school now, though. RATS had been the scary looming thing for long enough that they had become something of a familiar comfort when faced with the scary looming choice of what to do with the rest of his life. Here in the Cascade Hall, where those exams would be held in just a few short months, they felt much more immediate and distracting than they had at home, where the mailbox had been his source of daily hope and despair.

He looked around for an empty seat near a friend, and found one near John before he spotted Lena, so headed over to join his best friend. "Hey," he greeted cheerfully, "Good break?" He tossed a wrapped present down in front of John. It was pretty obvious, just by looking at it and the sound it made as it hit the table, that it was a hardcover book. John, Clark figured, would find more suspense in which book he got rather that what he got, so he hadn't even tried to disguise it.

Grinning as he sat down, he held out his hands, "Your candy gram promised me a gift, too?"

OOC: Feel free to decide for Clark what book John might have expressed some form of desire for. A novel discussed in book club, a science textbook, whatever.

1 Clark Dill I acknowledge your normality. Where's my gift? 277 Clark Dill 0 5

Lionel Layne

December 14, 2016 3:04 PM

There are worse places to be. by Lionel Layne

The Returning Feast. It seemed impossible to get his head around the idea that it would be his last one. Surely, this time next year, he would come back and sit at this same table, with these same people, just the way he always had. Surely this whole part of his life couldn’t just be…over.

Cold, hard facts did not care what his head could or could not work out, though, and they said that Lionel was on his last Returning Feast. His last two-minute speech from Brockert, his last seeing who’d done something weird with their hair over midterm, his last experience of trying to adjust to the time difference between Arizona and South Carolina. Admittedly, he wasn’t sure he was really going to miss that last one, but still. Hadn’t it been just yesterday that he’d been Mimi’s size?

His sister abandoned him the minute they walked in, making a beeline, he supposed, for one or another of her little friends; he thought she had more than a touch of Teppenpaw in her make-up. At least, he thought, he didn’t have to worry about that; he had no idea what he was going to do with his life still (Uncle Geoff and Granddad were both making ominous noises about further studies, and other relatives were chiming in via post), but Amelia was going to be fine at Sonora without him. Which was good. Nothing to feel bad about in it. Right….

He sat down at Pecari, listened to the two-minute speech, and then got to the important part of the evening: eating. He speared himself a plump baked sweet potato, from which golden juice began to seep promisingly as soon as he stabbed it with his fork, and looked for the sour cream to fix it up with. Unfortunately, it was out of his reach, and the nearest person to it was sketching.

Nothing for it, then. “Excuse me,” said Lionel. “Will you pass me the butter?”

The girl – Sutton, the quiet fifth year – didn’t hear him, though. Lionel grinned apologetically. “I asked if you could pass the butter, please,” he said. “I’m amazed you can sketch with all this noise – I know I’d have trouble,” he said. He liked it to be quiet when he was drawing or painting. His mom liked to play music while she worked and found it incredible that he could concentrate in silence, but it was what seemed to work best for him.

16 Lionel Layne There are worse places to be. 283 Lionel Layne 0 5

Farrah

December 14, 2016 5:29 PM

Well, we are friends for a reason... by Farrah

Farrah was happy to hear that Kellen’s midterm had gone okay for him. She knew his summer hadn’t been all that great and she wanted to make sure his Christmas hadn’t been ruined in any way. “That’s great to hear!” Farrah replied enthusiastically. Her eyes lit up at the sight of the gift, remembering the fact that Kellen had written her telling her that it was too fragile to owl. It had made her rather curious to know what it was that couldn’t be sent to her so seeing the box in front of her brought about a sort of giddiness that she always experienced at Christmas and on her birthday.

“My holiday was pretty good.” Farrah replied as she carefully began to unwrap his gift to her. “Corra has started to learn the harp, did I tell you that? I can’t remember now. Anyway, listening to her practice is torture.” Farrah explained, getting the wrapping off and now working on the box. “My parents announced our vacation this year will be to Holland, which is exciting. Oh!” Farrah paused in opening the box to look at him. “And they agreed to let me see you for some of the summer!” She gave him a wide grin before returning to her gift.

Now unwrapped and the box open, Farrah pulled out the snowglobe and had a look at it. “Oooo, this is so nice!” She replied, giving it a shake to see the sparkles flutter around the cats. “This is so adorable! Thank you so much!” Farrah set the globe down and wrapped her arms around her friend for a hug. “This is so wonderful, thank you!” She said again as she pulled away from him. “I’ll put this on my desk! Did you like the scarf?” Farrah asked him. She didn’t think he’d tell her if he didn’t like it, but she hoped that he did. She thought it was cute and would look good on him. Plus, he was into the same things as she was, so surely he would love a dragon scarf...

6 Farrah Well, we are friends for a reason... 344 Farrah 0 5

Gia Donovan

December 14, 2016 9:00 PM

I don't think this was a bad wish. by Gia Donovan

Gia looked up from her spot at the table to see Chuck taking a seat across from her. She gave him a bright smile as he sat down. Her brows furrowed briefly at his comment. What did he mean by that? She had no idea what he meant by that but she was still quite happy to see him so she let the comment fall away without responding to it. Chuck was one of those people that Gia was always happy around. There wasn’t any worry or drama there that she needed to think about. It was just easy and she liked that about their relationship.

The Headmaster stood and made his short speech (she was a little surprised that there weren’t any notices or anything that needed to be discussed during the speech) which prevented her from properly greeting him when he sat down. But they resumed their conversation once the food appeared. “It was a nice break.” Gia replied. There really hadn’t been anything exciting for her to really talk about or would admit to anyway. “My mother always looks so happy when we are home, so I enjoy being able to spend time with her. I think Jax feels the same way. I know he worries when we aren’t with her…” Gia frowned for a moment as she thought about her family. She loved them dearly, but there was so much sadness that surrounded them that no one could ever truly understand.

“And I was able to see my Muggle friends, which is always nice.” Gia said after a brief moment to herself. Her smile returned as she looked at Chuck. “Was your holiday a good one?” She returned the question to him. She sometimes wondered how other people lived. She and her brother lived a ‘poor’ life since her mother left her family behind in favor of protecting Jax from whatever bad it was that they were running from. A single bedroom apartment in the Chinatown area of Seattle. Gia shared with her mother and Jax slept on the couch. They mostly ate soup because meat was more expensive (although they did eat lamb on Christmas), and were given one gift for Christmas (or a handful depending on how expensive the gift was). Gia did not feel as though she was ever left wanting and she wasn’t often jealous of other people, but she had been noticing just how big of a gap her life was to many of the other people around her.

Maybe, someday, that gap would close, but until then it was just another reason why her family would be considered an outsider to the rest of them.

6 Gia Donovan I don't think this was a bad wish. 308 Gia Donovan 0 5

Sutton

December 14, 2016 9:30 PM

Indeed, there are. Like the Aladren table. by Sutton

“Oh, sure,” Sutton said, blushing a little in embarrassment since she was keeping him from eating his sweet potato. She glanced around her, spotting the butter and handing it over. She liked sweet potatoes, but then she liked most vegetables. If she didn’t, she would probably never eat since she didn’t eat meat. She also ate very little in the way of pastas. Not because, she didn’t like pasta. In fact, she adored pasta, but it wasn’t really all that good for a person. She had recently begun to try a more clean living approach, which involved eating more natural. It was difficult in some ways, because like right now, the potato looked delicious and some brown sugar and butter would make it amazing. But then she had to ask about the butter. Was it organic? Was it from a grass-fed animal? She might have been able to ask the elves to provide such things, but she didn’t really want to hassle them. It was easier to just stick to her salad, though, she didn’t think that was organic, but she didn’t have to worry about it being grass fed or locked up in cages.

The boy, no, more of a man, she recognized him as being a seventh year by the name of Lionel Layne. He was someone that she had seen around, but had never spoken with. Though, that wasn’t much of a shock. She had avoided interactions as much as possible over the last couple of years. But she was trying to change that. Especially now with Aislinn mad at her. She didn’t really have many others to talk to except for Gia. So, having another friend would be nice. Plus, he had noticed her sketching. “I find it calming in settings such as this. Plus, I want to travel someday and be able to draw everything I see.” She could have probably sketched from memory, but she found that it never captured the moment in the same way.

“I’m better with buildings and places, but I’m learning how to work with people right now. I take classes during the summer so I’m not as far along as I would like,” Sutton told him. She wasn’t sure that he actually wanted to hear any of this, however, she thought that it might be a good starting point for a friendship. She pulled her sketchpad a little closer to her, but didn’t want to show him what she had actually been drawing. It was somewhat personal. Attempting to maneuver, she flipped the pages quickly to a model that had been in the class. Laying her pad on the table, she showed Lionel what she had been working on. “This is Jessica. She’s one of the class models. I’m having trouble with the proportion of the shoulder to the head. I either make the head to big or small.” The model was rather stunning otherwise. The drawing was in black and white, but it was obvious that the girl had a mane of wild hair and a smattering of freckles all over. Wide eyes and pouty lips. She was definitely a model. Sutton didn’t like her as a person, however, since she was rather arrogant. She much preferred those with other qualities…

0 Sutton Indeed, there are. Like the Aladren table. 311 Sutton 0 5

Emmy-Lou Scott

December 15, 2016 11:12 AM

Glad that you are too. by Emmy-Lou Scott

Despite there being so many pureblood kids at Sonora who prided themselves in behaving like society adults with all the appropriate etiquette, Emmy-Lou had come to learn that most of them were just delusional. What they seemed to think they were was so far removed from what they actually were. So many of these types of students lacked basic manners that any society child should surely be taught from a very young age and it shocked her that they didn’t even bother upholding them at school, yet continued to believe they were above others. Emmy-Lou had actually found that muggleborns could be better mannered than purebloods, which would no doubt be a horror to the latter’s parents if they were to ever find out.

The Aladren reached for the duck as her housemate requested. “Here you go,” she said cheerfully, because she was in too good a mood to be disheartened by anything. “That sounds amazing!” Emmy-Lou remarked with interest when Tasha revealed her holiday travels. “What’s it like there? Had you visited before? I’m guessing you’re in the Ethiopia group for the fair?” Having actually been to the country you were doing for the fair would no doubt be very useful. She didn’t mean to bombard Tasha with questions but Emmy-Lou wasn’t familiar with the country herself and didn’t know that anyone she knew of had been there. Perhaps Tasha had family connections in that country.

“Well, I didn’t leave the country like you did,” Emmy-Lou responded to Tasha’s question about her own midterm break. “But I did have a different kind of excitement. My holiday involved a lot of fashion shows and events and such, because I’ve just launched my collaboration with Daisy Queen so that was a lot of fun.” She expected Tasha to know the brand since it was very popular among girls their age in America.

8 Emmy-Lou Scott Glad that you are too. 313 Emmy-Lou Scott 0 5

Lionel

December 15, 2016 3:02 PM

Or the Crotalus one, depending on the year. by Lionel

“Thanks,” said Lionel as Sutton passed the butter. He split open his potato and pushed a square of butter down into the insides with his fork and began stirring, the skin of the sweet potato conveniently acting as a bowl while he doctored the contents and listened to what she had to say about sketching.

“That would be cool,” he agreed of her plan to travel the world and sketch it. She showed him a drawing and commented on the proportion of head to shoulder and Lionel smiled. “You’re still a lot closer to sketching the world than I am,” he commented. “Though I will say, I can do a pretty good likeness of Professor Xavier’s cat.”

Human faces…not so much. Lionel had tried sketching his mother and grandmother once and it had gone all wrong. Mom had looked like a potato and Grandmother had looked like John Umland’s hot date from last year. He had gotten a little better at drawing people since then, of course, but he still wasn’t great and knew it even when the portraits in MARS didn’t go out of their way to tell him so.

“I see what you mean about the proportion,” he said less jokingly, “but it’s still really good. How long have you been drawing?”

16 Lionel Or the Crotalus one, depending on the year. 283 Lionel 0 5

Finn Scott

December 16, 2016 2:11 PM

I guess that means I've settled in here, then? by Finn Scott

Ayla was definitely chatty, not that Finn minded. It was better than talking to someone who didn’t make much effort with conversation, as he meant he didn’t have to bear the brunt. Besides, it was always interesting to hear what other people did in the holidays.

He understood what she was saying about missing Sonora, but why would she be glad to be away from her brother? Finn often wished he had siblings, even though he had Rihana and Roxana. For him, family was the most important thing, and he missed them during term time. It was sad that Ayla did not seem to appreciate all her family so much. Not being experienced in siblings, and generally being good at getting on with everybody, it didn’t occur to Finn that a sibling might just be annoying, with a different viewpoint.

California wasn’t a state that Finn really knew, for family reasons, but the East Coast was definitely a part of America he knew better.

“Oh, whereabouts on the East Coast?” he asked, curious about both where she’d gone and how she knew. He was aware that she was a fellow pureblood. “My family come from Maryland,” he added, explaining his interest in her travels.

“Yes, I spent lots of time with my family,” he said, smiling as he recounted what he’d done over the holidays. “We went out riding lots, and also went to various events near us. And, of course, my family hosted a Christmas event too, which was good fun.”

The Scotts always hosted a small event between Christmas and New Year, inviting local pureblood society families, and Finn always enjoyed getting to see everyone again, especially as being at Sonora meant he missed out on some events during the year.

“So, are your enjoying your time at Sonora so far?” he asked. It probably wasn’t the most inspired of conversation continuers, but Finn didn’t want the conversation to end there. Saying something was better than nothing, right? Besides, Ayla seemed to be friendly and chatty, so he had confidence in her not minding if he was a little boring.

9 Finn Scott I guess that means I've settled in here, then? 347 Finn Scott 0 5

Sammy Meeks

December 17, 2016 1:27 AM

Makin' like Elsa by Sammy Meeks

Deep breath, kiddo. Reset. Let it go. You got this.

Going home had been a well-needed break from this year’s stress. Sammy loved Sonora and, despite all that had been going on this year, still considered it the only place she had ever really belonged, but it was nice to get away from it all for a couple weeks, go back to her normal, non-magic Nevada nlife (alliteration required another n, bear with her) and re-acclimate to the unyielding barrage of tacky jokes and never-ending cycle of “go ask your mother”s that was existence in the Meeks-Jones household.

But as nice as this reprieve had been, it was time to go back. The Pecari felt fully ready for this, her moms’ perpetual (and often unprompted) opinions and advice fresh in her newly restarted brain. And they told her to breathe, hold her head high, and let go.

Romantically, she had lost Joella before she’d ever had her. Chalk one up under the big “L”. Mom said that didn’t mean she had to lose her friendship, or, perhaps more importantly, Jax’s. Sammy had been trying to make herself heal mostly for Gia’s sake (which had gone so well), her moms thought, but to really get over it, she had to move on for herself, and not anybody else. So it was time. No more hiding or skirting away.

The anonymous candygram she sent Joella was her final act of romantic interest. They were friends only now, and Sammy would just have to nurse that broken heart of hers with actual care. It would get better if she remembered to breathe, if she remembered how fun being friends with Joella was. And then she would smile.

Now to just actually make that happen. That was the trick.

Sammy had a nice, relaxing (bumpy as all get out) wagon ride before she had to actually see Joella or Jax, and she spent that ride as she had spent the last one, and as she in fact intended to spend all foreseeable wagon rides: chatting with Kira Spaulding. The fifth year really liked that girl. She was nice. A bit quiet, really, but Sammy had never minded that kind of thing. She could talk enough for the both of them.

It seemed like a lot of people took the time between getting off the wagons and Headmaster Brockert saying his obligatory speech-lette to quickly distribute gifts to their friends, but Sammy decided her sack of goodies could be emptied later, opting instead to find a seat that wasn’t in motion. Stability was nice. (Whoa, that was deep. Life talks with Sammy Meeks, right here.)

So she plopped into a chair at the Pecari table with relatively high spirits, although for now she kept her eyes mostly down, not wanting yet to catch Joella’s or Jax’s if he was at the table either with her or Gia. Mostly she was just going to keep quiet while she readjusted to school life, trying her hardest not to think of her exams after this semester, but of course the universe could not allow Sammy Meeks to have a quiet meal even if she wanted one. The person beside her spoke, but she didn’t quite process what they said. “What was that?” she asked. “Sorry, I spaced.”

12 Sammy Meeks Makin' like Elsa 310 Sammy Meeks 0 5

Scarlett Brockert

December 17, 2016 2:18 PM

Still being like Scarlett by Scarlett Brockert

Coming back to school after Midterm always seemed like a letdown to Scarlett. The Yuletide was an incredibly fun time, a whirl of gifts and parties that she just loved. Of course, at her age, the pressure was on to find a betrothal. Her parents, while being hardwired like most society purebloods against the idea of their children not marrying within society, did want their daughters to be with people who they at least got along with and also, would ultimately not treat them terribly.

However, Scarlett did not terribly mind despite this whole selection process being something she wasn't sharing with her sister as she'd always imagined it would be, with Savannah basically taken care of now. Instead, she shared it with Kira and Kelsey, which wasn't quite the same. Sharing anything with someone other than her sister wasn't quite the same. A comment Savannah would have pointed out was obvious because everyone was different so an experience couldn't be the same if you were having them with different people.

Her sister's seemingly painful logic that could often end up dissecting a concept that nobody ever thought about without being irritatingly pedantic and instead made her think about something differently or made her laugh was something Scarlett loved about her twin. There were just so many little things like that that made their bond special and different than anything her cousins had with their siblings. Twins were different, they just were.

And she was going to miss that as they eventually grew up, got married, moved far away from each other-the Pecari and Teppenpaw common rooms weren't really all that far apart compared to different states or countries and who knew where Scarlett would end up as Amity was in Mississippi, Chaslyn was going to Quebec and Serena was princess of her own island -and had more separate lives than they ever had.

Now though she was back at Sonora for another half term of schoolwork,clubs, and staring at Professor Pye's hot hot backside. The headmaster gave his excessively brief remarks and Scarlett turned to Sammy Meeks. "Could you pass the meatloaf, please?"

Apparently the other Pecari hadn't heard her so she repeated herself. "It's all right, I just asked for the meatloaf, please?"

11 Scarlett Brockert Still being like Scarlett 293 Scarlett Brockert 0 5

Artemis Leithan

December 17, 2016 5:07 PM

Back to School by Artemis Leithan

Artemis had enjoyed her break, except that she worried about her brother. Her parents seemed to be willing to take their time considering her options, which she liked. They didn't have many frieends with sons, which made them unconcerned about which warlock to arrange for their daughter to wed. Arthur was not so lucky, and Artemis was secretly sure they would never arrange for his betrothal to their favorite candidate, whom Arthur deeply disliked. After all, his parents had always agreed to let Artemis veto their choice, so Artemis felt they would give Arthur the same privilege. Still, her twin's unhappiness was a negative aspect of the holidays, even as she rejoiced in the knowledge that her parents had no solid choices in mind for her.

The boys at school seemed like reasonable choices for her. She had let herself mull them over as she met purebloods at Sonora, knowing that one of the might someday be her husband. She liked feeling that they might someday agree to her marrying someone from school. One of the reasons she and Arthur had chosen to go to school in the United States was to have a wider set of choices of careers and marriages. For Artemis, it seemed like this was going to work out. She had to believe that Arthur would benefit as welll. They had had a wonderful break, with lots of society parties and that included some with American purebloods. This was what they had been longing for since they started school.

Artemis reached for the mashed potatoes before passing them to her schoolmate. “Ho was your midterm break?” She asked her housemate. “Mine was wonderful. I loved all the parties!”

0 Artemis Leithan Back to School 334 Artemis Leithan 0 5

Arthur Leithan

December 17, 2016 5:08 PM

Stressed but Excited as Well by Arthur Leithan

Arthur had had a disconcerting midterm break. Most of his parents' friends who had daughters were severral years older, while those with sons were several years younger, so match-making was the topic of the families of the daughters this year. Arthur was used to seeing match-making as a consideration of his sister. He had overlooked that society purebloods' sons were as subjet to the process as the daughters. Artemis had skipped through the season unscathed, but his parents had been talking about matching Arthur with several of the daughters of their friends. Arthur was concerned that he did not want to be matched with an incompatible spouse. He wanted someone he could grow to love, as his parents had done. One of the girls his parents liked best was someone with no sense of humor, an attribute Arthur considered necessary for life.

Privately, Arthur had hoped that his parents would begin socializing with the parents of some of his schoolmates at Sonora, so that he could marrry someone he already met. While they had begun some socializing with friends of his from school, their horizons for his future spouse did not seem to have shifted from the society friends they already knew. Arthur had not developed any crushes on schoolmates, but he was too well-brought up to engage in that kind of torture. He had not met anyone who did not reminnd him that he would be bettrothed, not fall in love, and he knew the danger of forgetting that he would not make any choices in love personally.

Artemis seemed, at the moment, to be getting freedom of action, if not ultimately freedom of choice. Their parents' friends had few sons available, and their parents seemed to be keeping their eyes open for a range of possibilities. They had even considered getting to know new people from the States before pledging their only daughter! Arthur was somewhat jealous! He did not want to marry the girl with no sense of humor, who seemed to be his parents' top candidate! He tried to solicit his twin's advice, but she did not have any ideas on how to avoid matrimony with the girl he didn't like.

The first-year across from him appeared lost in his own thoughts of gifts for the holidays. Arthur preferred that topic and engaged him on it.

0 Arthur Leithan Stressed but Excited as Well 328 Arthur Leithan 0 5

Jack Spencer

December 18, 2016 11:46 AM

Still keeping mine quiet. by Jack Spencer

Jack was ashamed to call Lily his sister sometimes, and after she got that haircut he didn't know what to call her. She was such a strange witch, it didn't seem like anyone in the Spencer household knew what to do with her except Adam, and Adam wasn't living with them anymore. He was going to be married and Jack would be responsible to take care of his sisters. He didn't even want to think about it yet.

The more pressing matter was the desire to start dating. Like many adolescent wizards, Jack wanted a girlfriend. It was a wish he'd only shared with one other person: his Quidditch mate who had unwittingly caught Jack in one of his most embarrassing moments. At least, in some strange way, Jack felt closer to Louis now. He liked scoping out the witches at Sonora, but hadn't spent much time talking with them firstly because he spent loads of time with his Quidditch mates who were dominantly wizards, and secondly because he didn't know how to talk to witches outside of class, not really. It should've come easy, as he had two sisters, but the whole idea of dating and the romantic potentials, as natural as it seemed, was an unfathomable phenomenon. Jack felt quite miserably incompetent whenever he thought about it - which was often - but he tried not to compare himself to his older siblings. After all, he knew Charlotte wasn't very happy with Emrys currently, and Jack would rather be single than be unhappy in a relationship.

Cascade Hall was warm in comparison to outside. Jack unwound his thick Aladren-blue scarf and tucked it into his uniform robe pocket. He stifled a yawn as he did a brief scan of the Aladren table before sitting. Louis didn't look too happy, and Jack wondered why briefly before noticing one of the Nicolls sitting across from him. He vaguely remembered Aislinn Nicolls giving him a bad impression their first year, but they were friendly acquaintances now. She seemed to be the quiet sort, reading a book during the Returning Feast. Or perhaps she had something else on her mind.

He helped himself to some Indian curry and rice. He couldn't sop it up with bread as his father had showed him - it was just too messy for him. Instead, Jack used a spoon and piled a couple of pieces of naan on the side. The curry smelled delicious and Jack brought his first spoonful to his mouth when he realized Aislinn was staring at him. He almost choked in surprise, but managed to hold himself together and the moment passed. Then she blinked and asked for rolls.

"Something on your mind, then?" asked Jack as he handed the basket of bread to her.

40 Jack Spencer Still keeping mine quiet. 299 Jack Spencer 0 5

Daniel Fintoc

December 19, 2016 11:37 AM

And isn't it nice. by Daniel Fintoc

Daniel’s midterm break had been agreeable. He missed his family as any spoilt young wizard would do whilst away at boarding school, so it was always great to see everyone again, even his younger brother Anthony who had a bit of an aptitude for getting on Dan’s nerves. He didn’t miss the ranch like Chuck did though and whilst he was at home found he missed Sonora.

It was a great shame that Daniel didn’t have any roommates but at least the girls in his house in his year were nice. He considered Angelique and Artemis to be his friends but wasn’t close with either. He was rather glad that he’d made the decision not to put one above the other by asking one of them to attend the ball with him last term, but that was really just because of how things had worked out for him in the end and not because he didn’t want to spend more time with them and get to know them better. At the time he had actually known which of the two Crotalus girls he would rather have spent the evening with, although both seemed most amicable, but it had seemed wise not to act upon it.

Dan smiled when Artemis greeted him at the table. “Thank you,” he said politely as he took the proffered mashed potatoes and began serving himself. “That sounds fun,” he said in reference to the seemingly-plentiful parties that her break had contained.

A combination of starting Sonora and getting older meant the number of parties he attended during the holidays had increased but Dan was still dreaming of greater, grander things. He was a long way off from the life he so desired but it was all progress. He needed to start doing more to benefit himself - if he could muster up the courage, he knew he had at least one trick up sleeve to impress Granddad Fintoc this term.

“My midterm was good too, thanks,” he nodded. “It was nice to see my family again. And I also went to a fair few parties, but there’s always a lot to do on the ranch so we keep it fairly local.”

The Fintocs were less prominent than they had been in the past but any respectable old pureblood families would know of them. They had multiple cattle ranches across the nation and had been expanding internationally since forming a partnership with Curtis Farming Co. That was all thanks to Uncle Rob (Chuck’s dad) and perhaps that was why Granddad let him get away with so much.

“It’s always nice to be back though, don’t you think?” Daniel added, because there were so many things at Sonora that he didn’t have back home. He knew Chuck wouldn’t agree with him that the ranch was lacking anything worthwhile, but that was Chuck and he and Dan were probably never going to quite see eye to eye.

8 Daniel Fintoc And isn't it nice. 333 Daniel Fintoc 0 5

Gwen Fintoc

December 19, 2016 12:02 PM

Feeling blessed. by Gwen Fintoc

Gwen had been so excited to start Sonora and it was truly a wonderful place but being away from her family for so long wasn’t easy. She just hadn’t been used to it and she probably would have struggled had it not been for Chuck and Dan. They were her cousins, but they’d always seemed more like big brothers. That’s how close the Colorado Fintocs were, and that was probably a result of them all living in such close proximity growing up.

Starting school seemed to mark some great step in her journey to become a proper lady as Gwen felt like she was now treated differently and allowed to go to more parties. It was simply fantastic. She knew that Dan thought Sonora was the best thing ever, without him even having to say it. She understood him like that, and she wondered if the same applied for her. Sonora was opening up a whole new window of opportunities and the twelve-year-old couldn’t wait for some of her greatest dreams to come true.

Now that she’d completed a whole semester, she felt more settled returning. It was a good thing, and she felt much more confident that she was going to make friends for life here. Ayla was hands-down the best roommate she could possibly have asked for and so many of the other girls, like Kit, also seemed like the kind she wanted to get to know better. Her classmates were just so lovely!

“Hi,” she turned to her neighbour at the Teppenpaw table with a smile when the headmaster sat down. “Did you have a nice break?”

She returned some of her attention back to the feast on the table whilst she listened to her housemate’s reply, glad that she wasn’t faced with an immediate reduction in food quality upon her return to school.

8 Gwen Fintoc Feeling blessed. 364 Gwen Fintoc 0 5

John

December 19, 2016 8:04 PM

In my trunk. Thanks for the acknowledgment, though! by John

Great break, yeah. I determined I might have a stalker, determined I definitely have an awkward situation on my hands, questioned my sanity, had a temper tantrum where I punched a tree, and worked on elaborate plans to be mean to second years. What have you been up to?

John decided total honesty was probably not the best policy when it came to answering Clark’s question and was so glad to have the distraction of what was almost certainly a hardcover book smacking the table in front of him.

“I’ve had worse,” he said vaguely, deliberately focusing on the gift instead of the question and looking for a place in the wrapping paper which would facilitate removing said paper without tearing it. John and Joe sometimes competed to see who could get a piece off more neatly, though these contests were sometimes interrupted by an impatient older brother or sister taking the presents away from them and tearing the paper away instead. “Oh, this looks promising!” he added as he got the end of the paper loose and saw the book had some darker lines among the pages. That indicated visuals.

Unfortunately, John had nothing to offer in return at the moment. “You do,” he agreed. “In my trunk, though – I’ll get that for you after we eat.” He drummed his fingers on the table for a moment, thinking. On one hand, John did not remember the time when he had not been advised, by Paul or Mom or both, to keep his own council and rely only on family for his problems. The one time he had ignored them had led directly to the tree-punching incident, among other things. On the other hand, Clark was his best friend and someone who had experiences applicable to some of John’s problems. “The candy, that was something, huh?” he asked. “Two different people sent notes saying they wanted to date me.” He couldn’t quite keep all the incredulity out of his voice and hoped his friend would take this as a hint that he should offer advice of some kind.

16 John In my trunk. Thanks for the acknowledgment, though! 285 John 0 5

Isaac Song

December 20, 2016 6:11 AM

Yeah, the food could be bad by Isaac Song

Isaac had been dreading returning to Sonora. He loved being back home in the Californian sun. It was too cold to swim at the beach--his favorite place--but he and his buddies went on their annual snowboarding weekend trip with Drake's family. It was so nice seeing his crew again that he hadn't wanted to leave and come back to a boarding school. They all went to the same middle school and had filled him in on all the gossip and how their classes were like in Los Angeles.

They'd all pestered him about what his school was like because it was so different--nobody they knew went to boarding school except him--but Isaac knew he had to lie about it. At least he did get to tell them what his roommates were like and that classes were more fun than math and English at their middle schools. He was still jealous that they all got to go to the same school, but Isaac consoled himself with the fact that he could do magic instead. It was like a blessing and a curse in that he loved it but couldn't share it with his best friends.

He was wearing his Air Jordans, the going-away present his buds had bought him with their combined allowance. It was the nicest present anyone had ever given him, and at least he was confident his friendship with them would never change. Christmas was fun with his family too even though his dad couldn't make it this time from Korea. It was fine though--they were all pretty used to it by now. Their presents had been delivered from Korea through mail, though, not that Isaac cared for Korean products. Just the candy.

Isaac sat down at his usual table and didn't wait for the Headmaster to say anything before putting things on his plate. Luckily it was short so he didn't seem rude or anything. He was just starving, as usual. His roommate asked for pasta and Isaac passed it along. "Here," he said. "Can you pass the mashed potatoes?" When he was at home, his mom was a health freak and never let him eat what he wanted. It was always salad and nuts and fish and a little bit of pasta if he was lucky. Here, she couldn't see him so he filled his plate with carbs--he loved carbs and red meat.

"Did you do anything fun over the break?" he asked as he began cutting into his meatloaf. "The break felt so short."

19 Isaac Song Yeah, the food could be bad 375 Isaac Song 0 5

Lauren Song

December 20, 2016 6:22 AM

I come here for the food by Lauren Song

There was a lot of drama surrounding her roommates--well, mostly Ginger--and Lauren felt bad for her. She and Jemima had always been there for her and Lauren had hoped for the best concerning their relationships. Blood status was hard, not that Lauren knew from personal experience, but she knew her mom had a lot of hurts from the pureblood community and really didn't like that whole circle. Lauren had done her best to comfort her roommate, but she felt sad for her even as they parted and Lauren sat off to the side at the Teppenpaw table. She looked over and saw Ginger talking with Jake--hopefully they would be able to work something out.

The winter break had been nice and quiet, perfect for Lauren's taste. Over the years she'd felt much more comfortable talking to strangers after coming to Sonora, but she still preferred more of the quieter life even in a busy city like LA. When Isaac had gone off to his snowboarding trip with his friends, Lauren, her mom, and her younger sister had had a spa day to themselves which was the highlight of her holiday. Christmas had been spent with Uncle Derek and he was always super fun. He was dating someone which made him less available to hang out, but it reminded Lauren that he was going to get married someday and couldn't be the fun, single uncle forever. It was a little bit depressing.

During the holiday, her mom had reminded her to start thinking about what she wanted to do in the future. There were colleges to start looking into, but Lauren had no idea how credits would work if she wanted to go to college in LA. Would she have to forge papers or something? She definitely didn't have the requirements for schools like USC or UCLA. It was going to be stressful, but then she had her CATS at the end of this term so that was a more pressing stress.

And on top of all that, Lauren's interest in Arne had grown a little more, but he seemed to have given up on their friendship or whatever this was. Lauren was a little disappointed; she had hoped something would happen after he'd randomly asked her to the ball last year, but it didn't look like that was going to happen. At least he could be a new friend.

Headmaster Brockert had very little to say to them, so Lauren, a little surprised, looked for her favorite foods, her heart feeling heavy for her roommate. She decided on a macaroni and cheese and string beans and was in the process of scooping some of the cheesy pasta onto her plate when she smiled at the person in front of her. "Do you want some of this?" she asked. "It looks and smells so good. Sonora never disappoints with their food."

19 Lauren Song I come here for the food 303 Lauren Song 0 5

Chuck Fintoc

December 21, 2016 2:48 PM

Let's hope nothing bad comes of it then. by Chuck Fintoc

Chuck smiled as he listened to Gia talk about her break. Her home life seemed a strange set up, perhaps because of the muggle influence since the Donovans were not muggleborns. Even his step-sister, who had always claimed to be integrated into the Muggle community (probably more to irritate her grandmother than anything), didn’t have particular “Muggle friends” that she met up with in the holidays. He couldn’t begin to imagine what it would be like to have to hide your entire lifestyle and true self from friends. How could it be worth it?

“Yeah, I had a good break too, thanks,” Chuck nodded. “It’s always good to get back on the ranch. It’s nice here and all but it really doesn’t compare.” He didn’t want to sound ungrateful or begrudging of being at Sonora but the ranch was where he belonged. Horses, cattle, mountains, meadows and a big sky that knew no boundaries - that was home. And that wasn’t even mentioning the people. The whole family had always been there for him, together they had raised him to be the young man he now was. Chuck had everything he needed at the ranch, besides that one person he had long dreamt of having, but now that he was older he’d found he didn’t really need her after all. “It’s always fun to be back with the family - we all live around the ranch, see,” he added.

“So was it just you, Jax and your mom for Christmas?” Chuck asked, since Gia hadn’t mentioned any other family members. He knew she was Greek so he wondered if they still had family over there.

8 Chuck Fintoc Let's hope nothing bad comes of it then. 309 Chuck Fintoc 0 5

Luke Powell

December 21, 2016 3:48 PM

That would totally suck. by Luke Powell

“Thanks,” Luke took the pasta from his roommate and started helping himself generously. “Sure,” he added when Isaac asked for the mashed potato and passed it across.

“Yeah,” Luke nodded through a mouthful of pasta. He swallowed the food before expanding. “Yeah, way too short. I spent most of it surfing. It was good to get some real waves - I’ve only had the water room while I’m here. And to see my mates and my family again of course,” he added because that had definitely been a highlight. There was more to life than surfing, only just. “All of us surf, pretty much, so it’s awesome when you get all of us together.”

He had a very unique set up at home, that he was aware of, so he didn’t bother going too in depth to explain it. Luke himself lived in an actual house but the majority of his “family” lived on the plot of land beside him. It was all owned by Uncle Ivan (actually his great uncle), who was Joella’s dad and the coolest dude ever, as all the plot’s residents would agree.

“What did you get up to over the break?” Luke asked. He didn’t know Isaac all that well yet but thought he seemed cool enough. He definitely didn’t seem dorky or pompous like so many of the other guys in their year came across as being.

8 Luke Powell That would totally suck. 374 Luke Powell 0 5

Wu Peizhi

December 22, 2016 2:23 AM

Back again. by Wu Peizhi

It was the right company.

That’s what Serenity had told her, anyway. The “right company”. Peizhi wasn’t sure what that meant until after she and her brothers were seated in the theater. In a shocking, rare show of generosity, she had been permitted to travel to the United States with Bohai and Huojin only, to see Serenity’s holiday performance: her ballet company performing The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky.

But immediately when the cast became visible on stage, the Teppenpaw began to spot differences between this company and the previous one with which her sister had been signed. Wu had glanced down at her program cover, squinting at in the dark of the seated area. She caught the words “people of color”, and while she would not have understood the term on its own, compared to the people she saw before her, she thought she got the picture. The last time she had seen Serenity performed, she had stuck out sorely even through the ensemble because of her appearance. But now she was one of many. It was pleasant.

Still, it was rather nice to be back to Sonora. There were a variety of pressures both with her family and with her peers, but for whatever reason, she was beginning to appreciate her time in the United States. Although she missed her brother Bohai desperately when she was away, it was good to be out from underneath her father’s vice like grip. At Sonora, she was freer, if only relatively.

Wu sat down at the Teppenpaw table and listened first to the Headmaster and then to the idle chatter of her classmates. She was definitely a proponent of silence or at the very least quiet, but for now, it was almost a comfort. It was nice to be back, indeed.

12 Wu Peizhi Back again. 316 Wu Peizhi 0 5

Isaac

December 22, 2016 7:03 AM

Good thing we don't have to worry about that by Isaac

"Awesome, thanks," Isaac replied in turn as Luke passed him the potatoes. He heaped a generous spoonful onto his plate and sighed happily. Good food always made him happy. He put some steamed vegetables on his plate as well and almost felt proud that he was feeding himself a balanced meal. For the most part.

Isaac was intrigued when Luke said he had surfed during the break. "Your whole family surfs? That's really cool. Yeah dude, California waves are the bomb. MARS can't really compare. I only know how to body surf and boogie board, but I want to learn how to surf next summer when it's a little warmer. Do you live by the beach?" That was one of Isaac's dreams. He'd love to surf everyday, once he learned how, and go to the mountains and have his own cabin in the winter. That'd be the life instead of having to go to Korea every summer to the humid, sticky heat and family he could barely talk to.

"My best friends and I go on a snowboarding trip every winter for a weekend, so that was pretty much the highlight of my break. My friend Drake's family has a cabin up there so we stay there when we go. Other than that, just hanging out with family and friends. I wish my other family members knew how to snowboard, but my mom likes skiing and my sisters don't really care about it that much." Isaac couldn't imagine his younger sister snowboarding without face-planting and then crying about it.

His mom was sad because Dad hadn't been able to visit, but Lauren always seemed to take care of their mom anyway so Isaac didn't feel the need to mention it. They Skyped all the time anyway, so it didn't feel like his dad was that far from him. "It was such a good break, I'm not really looking forward to studying again. Did you go to school before you came here?"

19 Isaac Good thing we don't have to worry about that 375 Isaac 0 5

Ginger

December 23, 2016 12:03 PM

Let's just climb it together without disturbing the wildlife by Ginger

He hadn't known. She looked back at him blankly, trying to process this. He hadn't known she was of mixed blood? Granted, she had intentionally not mentioned which branch of the Pierces she belonged to at first, hoping people would just assume she was from a branch they could associate with, especially since she'd been trying to fit in with Jemima, Owen, and Andrew in her year. But she was sure, sure she had talked about California in her letters to him over summers and breaks, and mentioned being on the Pacific wagon going to and from school. Which meant he had to know she was a California Pierce. Which meant he didn't know the entire California Pierce Family was a mixed branch.

Which meant Jake, at least, was adorably clueless about who was who in wizarding society, which was certainly a promising start.

She smiled tentatively, letting herself hope that maybe this would work out after all, "I really like now, too," she agreed.

But she couldn't let it go there, not quite yet. Mom's words still rung too loudly in her her mind. "My mom thinks you're going to dump me when you leave and get a betrothal to a more proper girl. You, you wouldn't do that, right, would you? I mean, I'm not looking for forever and ever or anything, I'm not even sixteen yet, and most of the women in my maternal line don't marry at all. I just, I don't know, I don't want you to forget about me as soon as you graduate."

1 Ginger Let's just climb it together without disturbing the wildlife 302 Ginger 0 5

Kir

December 23, 2016 1:47 PM

Feeling optimistic by Kir

Kir had had a lovely Christmas. For all that their family, on dad’s side, was only a generation old, there were so many people to share the festive season with, having his aunt and her wife close, both geographically and emotionally, to their family, and all the relatives on mum’s side. His parents had also saved the ritual of decorating the tree until he got home for the holidays, so he’d been able to join in a lot of the festive fun, the smell of pine and real fire permeating all his memories of the holidays. Nessa had been full of questions about Sonora, and as he was the first of his family to go here, a lot of their other relatives had been curious too, and he’d felt big and grown up as he told them all about it. They’d been especially interested in the spirit club and its candy grams, as none of their own schools had had such traditions. Kir had been very grateful for the idea too. He was an open and easy-going sort of person, though he did like to argue for fun, but he hadn’t seemed to click into firm and fast friendships as easily as some of his yearmates. The candygrams had made him feel like that mattered less. It wasn’t too late. He hadn’t reached the point of becoming invisible. He had been pleased that his two chosen recipients, Kit and Sawyer, had reciprocated - clearly he wasn’t totally misguided in considering them friends - and had been pleasantly surprised to receive them from Ayla and Gwen too. He had hastily returned the favour to both girls. He wasn’t reading much into it. They were both Teppenpaws, and thus inclined to be friendly. He was sure that they had both sent them to a lot of people, but it was nice enough to not be forgotten, to know that they were still open to making more friends.

At the returning feast, he kept an eye out for both girls, and finding the seat next to Gwen unoccupied, he took it. The headmaster’s speech was brief, and washed over Kir. When the feast appeared, he scanned around. He’d had his fill of traditional fare over the holidays, and - much as he loved sausages, and roast dinners - he thought he could fancy a break from them. He helped himself to some rice and a really delicious smelling chilli.

“Hi,” he replied, as Gwen struck up a conversation. “Yeah, it was really good to be back with my family,” he answered. “How about you?” he asked, and because he really wanted to more than just the niceties, he prompted a little further. “What’s Christmas like at yours? Thanks for the candy cane, by the way,” he smiled.

13 Kir Feeling optimistic 366 Kir 0 5

Georgia

December 23, 2016 2:26 PM

Jumping in by Georgia

Christmas had been weird. Georgia had had a taste of what it was to flit between her parents during the summer holidays and hadn’t liked it one little bit. Christmas had been a million times worse because… Well, it was Christmas. They were meant to be together. It had started before the holidays with the owls from her mom, asking her to choose who to spend which days with. There was literally no way she could do that. How could she? She had written back to say she wanted to spend time with both of them, and they should work that out. In the end, she had had most of Christmas with her mom but her dad had picked her up after lunch on Christmas Day, so she’d had the evening with him, plus the rest of the holidays. She had had two Christmas dinners, which she guessed was sort of a plus, and it had spaced out the present-getting part of the day. She was trying to find silver linings, to make the best of the bad situation, but it was still so strange. When she was with her mom in their old house, it felt so incomplete, and her dad’s new place was still so unfamiliar. So not home. The Christmas tree was so wrong. It was covered with a couple of sets of shiny new shop baubles, which just made her feel so bad - he had been given none of their collection of family decorations, accumulated over the years. Her room at his house was so bare… Her mother had kept Georgia’s whole childhood, their whole family life, and left her dad with this bare box. Though every time thoughts like that crossed her mind, she questioned whether he’d been offered it and rejected it…

“Maybe next year I can come to you first,” she had offered, when he’d commented about the place being a little lack lustre. “We could do some Christmas crafts.”

“I’d like that. Have some Georgia originals on the walls again.”

“Why don’t you ask mom for some of that stuff? If you want it?”

“I don’t know. There’s a lot to work out with your mother. It just…” he cut himself off. He didn’t want to say that it didn’t seem worth it. He didn’t mean that. Not about the pictures Georgia had drawn, or the decorations they’d made for the tree. They were worth it. But he had to fight so hard for every aspect of this. To see her fairly, over the holidays. He didn’t necessarily have the time and energy to argue over everything else. And he didn’t want to associate all the things she’d made with the fights and the animosity that it would take to get them. “It’s complicated,” he finished the sentence with an apologetic smile.

It’s complicated was becoming a familiar phrase. It was becoming the catch all term for things people couldn’t be bothered to explain to her, or didn’t want to… And she couldn’t help but wonder what he’d been going to say. Why all the things they’d done together over the years, all those memories, weren’t part of what he wanted to work out...

The time had gone by too fast. Her time at home was already so limited, and now it had to be split between two separate parents. Before she knew it, she’d been back on the wagon to Sonora. It wasn’t all bad. She was looking forward to seeing her friends. She had sent Farrah a notebook covered with owls wearing hats and scarves, and a matching pen with a little owl on the bit that clipped it to your pocket. She’d sent both the guys candygrams at the end of the previous term but hadn’t done presents for them as she didn’t know them that well. She had loved the panda hood that Farrah had sent her, and worn it lots over the holidays. She’d appreciated the note Farrah sent with it. Whilst she was at her mom’s, she had owled back with Farrah’s present, but whilst she was at her dad’s, she had taken advantage of the offer in Farrah’s letter and given her a ring. Nothing had been up, in particular, but it had been nice to say merry Christmas and have a chat, and to just talk to someone her own age. She’d seen a couple of kids from school whilst she’d been at her mom’s, but she’d just run into them around, not invited them over or anything. At her dad’s, she didn’t know anyone in the area. It was good to talk to Farrah, to talk about the things she couldn’t with her dad, even if she didn’t go deep into how the whole thing was feeling. She didn’t want to bring Farrah down over the holidays and, even though her Dad made a point of being in the kitchen and letting her take the cordless into her room, it still felt un-private, and weird to say too much about him when he was just a couple of rooms away. It was just good to chat though. To speak to someone who wasn’t her mom or her dad for a bit. Much as she loved them, it could get claustrophobic at times, especially now that they didn’t have each other to dilute their attention.

She went and joined Farrah when she waved, arriving just as Farrah was bemoaning Corra’s latest hobby. She, of course, made the suitable sympathetic noises whenever Corra was a pain in Farrah’s backside, but Georgia was actually bursting with curiosity about her. She didn’t have any siblings. In TV shows, the bratty sibling always got on with the best friend… She sort of liked the thought of having a little sister substitute, but one with none of the problems a real one would bring.

“My break was fine. Nice and warm,” she added, in reference to the gift Farrah had sent her.

She was curious to see what Kellen had got Farrah. When her friend opened it though, she couldn’t help but think it was kind of romantic, what with the little cats holding hands. Which was fine. If Kellen liked Farrah, that was totally fine. She just didn’t want to be crashing in on that… Still, Farrah had asked them both to come over.

“That’s exciting about Holland,” she grinned, in response to Farrah’s news. “You’re so lucky to do so much travelling! But hey, at least we get to explore the world in miniature with the fair, right?” she added.

OOC - sorry, wasn’t quite sure where/how to insert Georgia. Hope it’s not too clunky.

13 Georgia Jumping in 346 Georgia 0 5

Gia

December 24, 2016 7:26 PM

I don't think anything will by Gia

Gia had never been to a ranch of any kind and so, she really didn’t know whether Sonora compared to it or not. She recalled some of the Greek cities and towns that they had lived in or visited when they were still in her home country and they were beautiful places. She recalled the one by the sea. It smelled clean and fresh. She had loved the sound of the waves at night while she tried to sleep in her small bed. It wasn’t anything like Seattle. Seattle was noises and smelled funny. She wasn’t anywhere near the water to hear the waves. All she heard was people. She tried to enjoy the city and appreciate the people, but sometimes it was hard. Sonora was quiet (and considering she was in Pecari, that ought to tell people something), with beautiful lands and architecture. It was a magical place. She didn’t understand why Chuck wouldn’t love it more.

“It’s good that you get to see your family regularly when you are home.” Gia commented. There were times when Gia wondered what it would have been like if her father had never died at the claws of a werewolf and If her brother had never been attacked. What would life had been like had they gone camping and returned unscathed? Would they spent holidays with the Donovans in Ireland or with her family in Greece? Would her father had started a tradition of his own and have both families together? These were things that she thought about, especially around the holidays when she listened to other people talk about their extended families and all the parties they went to.

She knew that thinking about things like that would do her no good. Her brother told her that the family didn’t want them. Her mother only cried when asked about it or went silent and left the room. Gia learned to stop asking so many questions. She didn’t think that both sides of the family would have left them behind. There was more to it than that. More than what her mother and brother were telling her. But like everyone else, she was simply kept in the dark to keep her ‘safe’.

“Yes.” Gia answered. “I do not know any of my extended family. They, uh, did not agree with some choices I guess.” Gia shrugged. She really didn’t know what she was supposed to tell people if it ever were to come up. The truth was, they did not want to deal with Jax and Gia’s mother left them as a result. It was simple as that. But Jax was a secret and she couldn’t admit to that. “Did you have a lot of parties?” She asked, returning the conversation to Chuck.

6 Gia I don't think anything will 308 Gia 0 5

Jake

December 28, 2016 2:17 AM

Ooh, nature hike! by Jake

As a boy, Jake knew he had certain advantages. According to society, he was the one who was supposed to do the pursuing in a relationship. He was supposed to make decisions, either keeping the pace or moving forward. And he was the one who would do the leaving behind.

It didn’t help that he was older than her, and he knew that. He’d been so hesitant to even act upon his feelings for that very reason, afraid of how it could seem. Just about the last thing Jake wanted was to use or manipulate Ginger, overshadowed possibly only by his desire - no, need - to not hurt her.

Honestly, it bothered him a little bit that Ginger’s mom thought so poorly of him as to anticipate him breaking her daughter’s heart, but admittedly, her concerns were fairly legitimate based on the world from which Jake came. He had never met Ms. Pierce, but he cared very, very deeply about her daughter. More than he’d ever cared about anyone outside of his family ever before, which was saying something.

He reached over slowly to take her hand. “Hey,” he said, his tone reassuring. “It would be impossible to forget you, okay? I couldn’t even if I wanted to. And I don’t want to.” The seventh year paused briefly, filling the gap of his thoughts by squeezing her hand gently. “Look,” Jake continued, “there might be a day five, ten years from now where my family pushes me to marry somebody ‘proper’. I don’t know what that day will look like because I haven’t thought that far ahead yet. But short term, like, immediately after I graduate, it’s not going to be an issue. My family doesn’t really marry as young as a lot of the other ones do.” The only one in his close family that had gotten betrothed was his cousin Marcus, and that was by request because he didn’t want to see the girl he loved get married off to anyone else. Arnold was single, and Sally, while in a quietly kept relationship, was also unwedded.

“All I know right now is that this is the best part of my life,” he said with some decisiveness. “And maybe I’m not the smartest kid around, but even I’m not stupid enough to throw this away just because I’m not gonna be at Sonora anymore.”

12 Jake Ooh, nature hike! 280 Jake 0 5

Ginger

December 28, 2016 1:44 PM

Those are fun! by Ginger

Five or ten years down the line? In five years, she'd only be two years out of school herself, and they might not be ready to conclude their affair, but ten years down the road was pretty much much ideal. Inasmuch as anything in this situation was ideal, but she was a California Pierce of Regina's line, and the Matriarch-In-Training. She had family responsibilities, too.

She was one of only two California Pierces in her generation that actually had the surname Pierce. Traditional marriage wasn't really an expected experience in her future anyway. She was expected to have a kid, probably a girl if the trend continued, out of wedlock, so the Pierce name could continue on one generation further and not be entirely dependent upon the infant boy of Jediah's line.

"Ten years," she said, "deal. No hard feelings." She thought about asking if he'd be interested in being the father to her child, some time during the interim, but decided that might be a discussion for another, much later, time when she was less likely to get pumpkin juice spewed back in her face for asking. She smiled wryly, "I just hope the future proper Mrs. Manger isn't the jealous sort." The wryness turned sad, "That could never be me anyway. I can't leave my family. We're a Matriarchy," she hesitated, decided it wasn't worth explaining Joshua Pierce, the branch's current nominal Patriarch who rarely knew the current year, or the lack of leadership skills or interest in any of his descendants, and continued, "and I'm the heir. If I married, which is unlikely because my line tends toward unwed motherhood with no dads in the picture at all, my spouse would have to take my name so I could stay a Pierce. So we're pretty much doomed from both sides."

She made herself smile as she took his hand in hers, "But again, it's not going to be an issue for years and years. We have time before we need to worry about any of that."

1 Ginger Those are fun! 302 Ginger 0 5

Clark

December 29, 2016 12:38 PM

I gotta say, I am a fan. by Clark

Clark watched, feeling pleased with himself, as John opened the book. He'd found the text in a second hand bookstore, but the book looked to be in excellent condition and was highly reviewed by some science websites he trusted. It was on geology, so it was an interesting topic they had discussed multiple times in the past, but not one he thought it likely John already owned many books about.

"I can wait," Clark assured when John informed him that his present hadn't come to dinner tonight. "Might have been smarter to do it that way anyway. You might want to put the book away before anyone spills juice on it," he advised.

He was surprised when John picked up on his mention of the candy grams as he had mostly just been trying to be humorously facetious (though not really expecting John to pick up on it as John tended to be one of those people who missed some conversational subtleties at times).

"Oh," he said, trying not to sound too surprised that any girl was interested in dating John nevermind two of them. His own thoughts jumped briefly to his own anonymous candy gram that had briefly confused and baffled him before he decided he was probably reading too much into it and it was likely just from someone in his Science club or someone he helped as a prefect or a head library monitor. Or, heck, it could have been from Joella. It wouldn't be the first time he mistook an innocent comment from her as flirtatious.

He decided not to insult John by asking if he was sure he wasn't misinterpreting them because he doubted John would to come to that conclusion unless they were pretty blunt about it. "Who?" he asked curiously instead. "Are you interested back? I gotta say, I am a fan of the dating a girl pastime."

1 Clark I gotta say, I am a fan. 277 Clark 0 5

John

December 29, 2016 4:26 PM

Of my trunk or of giving me acknowledgment? by John

John was flipping through the geology text, thinking how useful this would have been last year, when Clark’s sensible advice managed to make its way from his ears to his brain. “You make a good point,” he concurred. He did not add that he’d also remembered it was rude to read at the table and just ignore all the other people at the table when one of those people happened to be his friend and said friend did not have a book of his own to occupy himself with at the moment. This was true, too, but acknowledging that he’d just remembered such things tended to make the situation more uncomfortable for everyone, not less, at least in his experience, so he kept that thought in his head.

He also kept his observation that there was at least some surprise in Clark’s tone after John told him about the strange candygrams to himself. It was not as though Clark did not know he evidently found the thought of John being attractive to girls as surprising as John did. Nor was it as if they were not both perfectly justified in being surprised. John was, after all, the guy who was so thoroughly undatable that he had been forced to dance with a mannequin last year. He had to make an effort not to frown when Clark mentioned enjoying the dating-a-girl pastime specifically because it brought back the memory of last year’s attempts to convert him to total misanthropy.

“One of them was anonymous, so I have no idea,” he said of this year’s problem. “It was creepy and said someone is watching me all the time.” John expected Clark would understand why John found that creepy; John was, after all, someone who listed manual cryptography among his hobbies. He also was reasonably sure it was something that everyone found creepy, regardless of their general level of interest in privacy. “Then there was another anonymous one, it was weird – it said since it was the season of goodwill, merry Christmas. I don’t know what that was about. And then…” John grimaced, getting to the point and lowering his voice as far as he could while still thinking Clark would be able to hear him. “Aislinn Nicolls.”

John rubbed his temple as though he had a headache at the admission. “Why would she do that?” he asked Clark helplessly. “We were friends in my second year, but – why would she decide she – is disposed that way – toward me now? And how am I supposed to host the book club meetings now?”

16 John Of my trunk or of giving me acknowledgment? 285 John 0 5

Olivier Westley

January 08, 2017 8:38 PM

Eavesdropping by Olivier Westley

Olivier had always found the miniature habits of his schoolmates to imitate their ‘proper’ elders to be both endlessly tiresome and amusing. He had never understood any of it and found the whole thing to be rather hypocritical. Why they liked to sit around and pretend they were high society and decent people when in reality each was likely willing to stab the other in the back just to get ahead, Olivier would never know but he supposed he fell into that category of hypocritical people since he was the sort to keep his eye rolling to himself and smile stupidly at insipid comments and tell people how nice they looked.

He was rather surprised, really, that his generally decent outer character didn’t have a particular friend yet at Sonora but then again he guessed it did make sense. His outer character was not who he truly was. He did not want a particular friend, he wanted to be left alone for the most part, to do whatever he pleased and show up to for classes to learn. He didn’t want to have to be friendly with people and only did so because it made getting through the day more bearable when people weren’t staring at him oddly for being That One Weird Kid Who Growled.

And now they were back at Sonora, back to having to talk with people he didn’t like and pretend as though every last one of his schoolmates didn’t want to make him run away and never interact with society ever again. After all, there were some good perks to being at school. He didn’t have to walk by her house and he didn’t have to look at pages she had written on. There was also Diana Carey who was really intriguing to him.

However, there were also people like Kelsey Atwater and Alistair Johnson who he found incredibly irritating to interact with and the fact that they’d decided to have their little pureblood love fest next to him at the Returning Feast made him want to stick his head in a vat of boiling oil. The way they talked was just so…fake? Didn’t they realise that? No, probably not, this sort of entitled attitude came from generations of inbreeding and idiotic, selfish people teaching their children the world revolved around them.

He ladled himself a nice, warm bowl of stew, ignoring the more delicate items that were offered at the table. It was winter, it was cold, he would eat stew. Olivier came from a good family, his and Lena’s parents were well-standing in their community and had taught their children how to behave in public, but there was also a sense of pragmatism that Olivier had. Why did he need to waste resources when he could make the smallest imprint imaginable? After all, eating was not for pleasure, it was for survival. Most things were for survival and Olivier didn’t really see the point in anything that wasn’t.

Except music. See? He blamed the rest of them for being hypocritical but he was one of the worst offenders. At least you’ll admit it to yourself, he thought bitterly as he listened to Alistair Johnson declare his midterm to be “most enjoyable.” He had a new nephew? Olivier wanted to put his bowl down and leave the table. He no longer had an appetite—bringing children into this world which was already so full of problems? How plebeian.

10 Olivier Westley Eavesdropping 282 Olivier Westley 0 5

Ayla

January 15, 2017 6:50 PM

I guess so! by Ayla

“Connecticut, to visit my friend Kit Reid, she's an Aladren, and her family, and then to Massachusetts. Sawyer Matheson, he's in our house too,” Ayla began, in response to Finn's question about where she'd visited over their break. She assumed that the older boy would know who Sawyer was, but she still felt like she needed to point him out. It was possible that the two had already met given that they were in all the same classes, but she wasn’t sure how much attention the older students paid to her year. “His family owns a restaurant near Cape Cod, so my mother and I went to check it out.” While admittedly not the greatest at geography, the young witch knew that the states on the east side were generally smaller than the west, so she imagined Maryland wasn’t terribly far from the other two. It was further south, if she recalled, but it wouldn’t be terribly unreasonable to add it to her “tour de friends” in the future.

“I don’t know much about Maryland, if I’m honest. Aside from the Capital being there and that the east coast generally is really pretty because you get all the seasons there.” She said with a shrug, hoping he wouldn’t find her lack of knowledge about his home state offensive. She smiled at his mention of spending time with his family and that they too had Christmas events they both hosted and attended. She enjoyed the parties, as they were an excuse to dress up and she got a glimpse into what it felt like to be an adult. “I’m glad you got to spend time with your family! As annoying as my brother is, I still miss the rest of mine. Do you have siblings?” She asked as she pushed her food around her plate.

“Riding as in horses or brooms?” Ayla asked. She didn’t remember Finn being on the Quidditch team, but that didn’t mean that brooms were out of the question. She supposed there were other things he could be riding, but those were the two main things that sprang to mind. “We have horses back home.”

Ayla lit up a little at Finn's last question. “Yes! I love it. There is so much to do, and the people are so great, and I mean, classes are ok, but yeah, it's so much better than I'd planned. Is it treating you well also?”

5 Ayla I guess so! 367 Ayla 0 5

Kellen

January 16, 2017 4:57 PM

I'm glad you made it! by Kellen

“I’m happy to hear that.” Kellen replied in response to Farrah’s comment about her holiday. “Well, not the bit about the harp, of course.” He added, wrinkling his nose at the idea of his own half sister, Olivia picking up some obnoxious instrument at some point. It was an impossible idea, and while Adam was annoying enough, he imagined that would push him over the edge. Thankfully he didn’t have to deal with siblings at his mother’s house. A smiled crossed his face when Georgia joined them. He didn’t know much about her outside of her being Farrah’s best friend, but that fact alone made her alright in his book.

“Hi Georgia. I’m glad your break went well.” He said politely before turning his attention back to
Farrah as she opened his gift. “Holland does sound cool.” Kellen agreed with Georgia, but his interest in Holland stopped as soon as Farrah announced that she’d get to come visit him during the summer. He was elated, and felt his ears turn red as he let himself begin to imagine some of the things they’d do together. He wanted to take her to Saturday Market, to the comic shop he visited while home, and it wasn’t unreasonable to think they might go swimming at some point.

Kellen tried to focus on Farrah, and was relieved that she seemed to like it. He should have seen the hug coming, but it still took him a little by surprise. “Y-you’re welcome. I’m glad you like it.” He said, his tone suddenly a little more awkward than it had been as he scooted himself as close to the table as he could. “Of course I did! I loved it. I wore it on the wagon. Thanks again.” He said with a smile, before considering Georgia’s comment about the fair.

“That’s true, I’m glad you both signed up. I’m also looking forward to visiting the other booths. Do you guys want to go together? I mean, obviously we’ll be working our booth together, when we aren’t, we could hang and check out the other ones? Maybe?” Truthfully, he would have been happy to just browse them with Farrah. He knew Georgia was her friend too though, and maybe he and the Teppenpaw would be able to bond over their booth and get to know each other better by then. He definitely didn’t want her to feel excluded, even if that meant sharing Farrah’s attention.

5 Kellen I'm glad you made it! 341 Kellen 0 5

Farrah

January 17, 2017 8:53 PM

Me too! by Farrah

Farrah smiled at her best female friend as she commented about the gift. She was glad that Georgia enjoyed it because she wasn’t sure if it would have been too immature for her. Farrah thought those kinds of things were adorable, but she knew that other people thought they were stupid (like some of the girls back home). It was really a relief that Georgia felt the same way about the hat, scarf, glove combo as she did.

“Yeah, I’m glad my parents want us to be ‘cultured’.” Farrah replied. She knew she was rather privileged as her parents made pretty good money, at least enough to keep up with the Joneses, but they worked hard and they made sure that Farrah and her sister understood how money works by making them do chores and earn their allowance. The only thing that they really got that was so big was their yearly family trips but she knew that was mostly because her parents were never able to travel much before they made money and thus, wanted to explore the world.

“Also, my parents would love to have you come visit me, Georgia.” Farrah replied. They wanted Kellen to come too so that they could watch him, but Farrah explained that his time with his parents was limited, so it was better if she went to see him and they reluctantly agreed. She probably should have said that about Georgia too, but she thought that maybe Georgia would have liked a break from her parents. “If you wanted, of course.” She added so that Georgia didn’t feel completely obligated to stay with her for a short period of time. “They want to meet my Sonora friends.”

She grinned happily when Kellen said that he loved her gift. Like her gift to Georgia, she had been worried that he would have deemed to too immature, but she was happy that it wasn’t the case. “Cool, we’ll be twins now.” She replied.

“Of course!” Farrah exclaimed. She couldn’t think of anyone else with whom she’d want to spend the fair with, whether it was working on the booth or walking around the booths. “If I have to learn countries by myself, it’s not going to be a fun fair for me at all.” Farrah replied with a pout. “I was happy to see your name on the sign-up sheets, Georgia! I forgot to tell you that. It’ll be fun to work on a project with the both of you!”

6 Farrah Me too! 344 Farrah 0 5

Luke

January 21, 2017 3:23 PM

Hakuna matata. by Luke

“Yeah,” Luke nodded, confirming about his family’s surfing habits, before deciding to expand. “Well, I say my family but technically they’re my neighbours, I guess. But we’re all like family. And my dad’s a big wave surfer!” Luke added, unable to resist bringing up his dad. He supposed that his dad was more of a surfing mentor now, since he’d married Alex, but he didn’t feel the need to mention that right now.

“Hey, I could teach you to surf, if you want,” Luke suggested casually. Isaac sounded genuinely interested in learning to surf and it would be so cool to have a surfing buddy at Sonora. Of course, with any luck Loren would be joining next term but at this moment in time that seemed ages away.

“Yeah, I live right on the beach, in Malibu, so you can see why I might miss home while I’m here,” Luke smiled. He knew everyone probably missed their home, and it wasn’t like he was a homesick jessie or anything, so he felt confident in admitting it. And he thought he had more reason to than anyone because, well, who wouldn’t miss the ocean? “Whereabouts do you live? Near the beach as well?” He knew that his roommate lived in California too, but whether that meant Luke’s kind of California or not, he didn’t know.

Luke’s eyes widened a little when Isaac mentioned snowboarding. Man, he was envious. The first year knew that his own life back home was super cool, but it turned out that Isaac’s wasn’t all that boring either. “That sounds so sick, dude,” Luke commented, not able to hide his enthusiasm and act cool. “I’ve never been snowboarding or skiing or anything like that. I bet it’s awesome.”

“Oh yeah, me neither,” Luke agreed when Isaac mentioned studying. It seemed they had a similar outlook on schoolwork too. He hesitated when his roommate asked him about his previous school though. He didn’t care what snobby people thought generally, but he liked Isaac. The guy was cool, but if he turned out to be from one of those society families, then he might not

“Yeah, I went to a Muggle elementary school,” Luke revealed, hoping that information wouldn’t affect the way that Isaac viewed him. His roommate didn’t seem like the snobby society type at all, but he didn’t know that for sure. “It sucked. Me and my mates were always getting into trouble - which was also kind of fun.” He gave a little laugh, although he knew that some of those times had involved him doing things he really shouldn’t. But so what? It wasn’t like Isaac was his mom or anything. Luke figured he’d probably get more cred with his roommate for being a bit of a rebel, because where was the fun in being a goody two-shoes anyway?

“Sonora classes are way better. Did you go to school as well?”

8 Luke Hakuna matata. 374 Luke 0 5

Georgia

January 22, 2017 1:30 AM

Me three by Georgia

Georgia smiled, at the invitation from Kellen, and Farrah’s enthusiastic reception of both that idea, and of her having signed up in the first place.

“That sounds great,” she smiled. The worry that she’d been tagging along or cramping their style all but evaporating. “I wasn’t super sure about it otherwise - I mean, like you said, it didn’t seem a fun thing to do on my own, but if I got to join up with you guys, it suddenly seemed like a great thing to do,” she tried to explain. Even Farrah’s comment about her and Kellen being like twins with their matching scarves didn’t bug her. It was the funny thing about worry and jealousy - nine times out of ten, when you shined a little light on it, it disappeared. Kellen inviting her to hang out, and Farrah’s reaction about her signing up reassured her that she’d just been worrying about nothing. She still thought there might be A Thing between them, either now or at some point, but at the moment it seemed like it wasn’t going to be something that pushed her out.

“I’d love to come over summer,” she smiled, really glad that Farrah had invited her. She was sure she should make it up at some point but at least it meant she didn’t have to choose which of her parents got to meet her school friends, which would be yet another moment of seeming like she was playing favourites.

“I’ll ask my parents the next times I owl them,” she nodded, the plural feeling slightly clumsy. Sometimes it was small things like that that tripped her up, not knowing quite how to phrase certain elements of a sentence to convey the right meaning.

13 Georgia Me three 346 Georgia 0 5