...the crazies come out to play on Care of Magical Creatures

Professor Donovan Cohen

February 18, 2011 7:18 PM

When the moon is full… (Years 1/2) by Professor Donovan Cohen

It was a little before half past seven in the evening when students started to show up near the entrance of Labyrinth Gardens where Don was standing. He had his acacia wand out and lit up, the bright tip pulsing high above the heads of the younger students so that they knew where he was to make the journey over to him easier. It provided enough light to make everyone a few feet from him able to see despite the falling darkness of the nightly hour, though he still had a few torches around the area set up and lit as well. He knew too much light might scare off the creatures they were waiting for, but not enough and one student who didn’t know any sort of Charms to cast light could stumble into something and hurt themselves. He hoped he had done enough so that he could avoid such a thing from happening.

Don had gone through a lot of work to ensure that everyone in his beginning years knew that class was cancelled that day and to show up at this time, this place instead. While he had made such announcements and reminders throughout his classes during the week, he still had a few students who found him outside that day who let the news slip their minds. It was odd to be holding class this late, so he didn’t hold it against them. Though he wouldn’t really call today’s lesson as a class since it was more-or-less a break from all the tedious work he had been giving them.

After waiting patiently for a few stragglers to race over, the yoga-enthusiast started to speak. “Good evening everyone. Since we have been doing a lot of bookwork over the course of this week about creatures that come out during certain moon cycles, I thought everyone might appreciate a change of pace and some firsthand experience with one of the creature we’ve been getting background information on.” Don didn’t usually have so much text reading, so he was at least glad to go back to getting to work with creatures with his younger years again. “Since our unit happens to be during the full moon cycle and a few of the creatures we’re looking at are already here, this is a good chance for everyone to get to see Mooncalves.”

The class had looked at Mooncalves’ information earlier that week, so they already went over how they burrow underground and only dig to the surface to dance on its back legs in the moonlight. Though the books didn’t have any pictures or good descriptions of the creatures, so the students might not know what to expect. Seeing some clouds brush over the face of the moon, Don urged everyone to back away from the ground near the hedges of the Labyrinth and stay quiet. “There are twelve Mooncalves that should be surfacing in a few minutes, and I’d like everyone to watch their dance without interrupting.” Respecting other creatures was very important to Don, and he could get very stern with immaturity in regards to that. “After they are finished, they will graze for a while before going back into their burrows. The most they’ll be out is about an hour, so you’ll have plenty of time to get back to your dorms before curfew.”

Seeing a spot on the ground stir, Don cleared his throat. “I’ll be dimming the light on my wand until they are done dancing now,” he forewarned before doing just that, eagerly watching to see the gentle creatures come out. The moonlight was shining down brilliantly now, so he didn’t even think he needed to have his wand lit anyways.

Slowly, the Mooncalves dug up, their slate skin covering their scrawny frames. They resembled aliens with their large, bulging eyes and flipper feet, and the elegant dance they somehow all managed to pull off in synchronization made them all the more unworldly. After about ten minutes, the dancing stopped, and the creatures supported themselves on all four of their sticklike legs.

Increasing the intensity of the light on his wand again, Don nodded to his class. “These Mooncalves are sociable enough to approach, feel, and observe up close, so feel free to do so now, but please try not to crowd around them as they are somewhat shy.”

Standing stiffly, Don watched as the students went off to go look at the creatures at a closer range. He made sure to watch the students and creatures to make sure everyone was getting along all right. Hopefully this was a good way to take a break from coursework.

---

OOC: Enjoy the lesson, and please post your House name with your Author’s name. Any questions/comments feel free to tag Don. That being said, have fun with it :)
Subthreads:

...There's a lot of directions for that sentence to go. by Russell Layne, Aladren with Derwent Pierce IV, Teppenpaw

...the crazies come out to play by Fae Sinclar (Crotalus) with Arnold Carey, Aladren, Fae

... the Mooncalves dance by Luka Anastanov [Pecari, 1st year] with Renée Errant {Crotalus}

...the werewolves attack. by Ryan O'Malley, Crotalus with James Owen, James

...er, it's really bright? by Hope Brockert, Teppenpaw with Sophie Jamison [Pecari]

My mind has been blown. by Regina Parker (Teppenpaw) with Josephine Owen, Josephine

...Strange things may happen by Sara Raines, Pecari

0 Professor Donovan Cohen When the moon is full… (Years 1/2) 0 Professor Donovan Cohen 1 5

Russell Layne, Aladren
February 19, 2011 4:32 PM

Russell Layne, Aladren
Alumnus
House: Aladren
Written by: Grayson Wright

Age in Post: 11

...There's a lot of directions for that sentence to go. by Russell Layne, Aladren
When Russell had learned the spell to light the end of his wand, having a class outdoors as the sun went down had not been what he had in mind, but he supposed that just went to show that there was always one more use for something.

His parents were full of sayings like that, wisdom boiled down into short, easy-to-remember sayings that came across like clichés. He’d been hearing them his entire life, and had always found them really annoying. After a few weeks at school, though, he thought he would have put up with ten of them a meal time to just to see his parents. He’d heard that some upper-class purebloods were never away from their parents and homes at all before coming to school, and couldn’t even imagine how they were staying sane at this point. At least he was used to other people. Not the kind of people he was living with, but still, he had been exposed to people other than his parents and aunts and uncles and cousins before age eleven. If he hadn’t been, he thought he might have gone catatonic after about two days in the first year Aladren dorm.

He still didn’t really know what to make of the other first years in general, which was probably at least partially because of the trouble he was having bringing himself to talk to them, but his roommates were still the biggest issue. When he wrote home, he only called them by their first names – in fact, he barely called Arnold and Arthur that; they were usually ‘the twins,’ and his parents probably thought they were both identical and interchangeable when Russell wasn’t too sure they even liked each other that much – and tried to keep the focus in general on his lessons and who he’d worked with in them and how well he was doing and other things which, he was sure, were more interesting to them than how well he was getting along with other eleven-year-olds so long as he didn’t make it sound like he didn’t get along with other eleven-year-olds. It felt strange, since he’d always told his parents everything, but he couldn’t exactly tell them everything when he didn’t know what everything was.

The light at the end of his wand proved not to be entirely necessary, since the professor had already lit the area where they were meeting against the deepening dark, but Russell was still glad he’d thought of it. Maybe it was just feeling slightly out of place among his roommates, but he was starting to think that Sonora might be a place where he was expected to take care of himself, which wasn’t something he was used to and he hadn’t been sure how good at it he would be. Signs of being okay at it were good ones as far as he was concerned.

He was impressed to hear that Professor Cohen had some mooncalves. They were considered a sort of problem at home in the Midwest, since it wasn’t unheard of for them to go dancing in the fields of Muggle farmers and starting alien stories, but also valuable because of the fertilizer. Great-Uncle Phillip, the apothecary, talked about that a lot; Uncle William made jokes about it, which Great-Uncle Phillip didn’t appreciate. He hadn’t expected to actually see any during this unit.

Because he was sufficiently socialized to know the chances of everyone not talking for the entire…ceremony, or whatever they were going to call it, were low, Russell made his way to the front for the dance. It was a remarkable thing to see; he was already half-composing what he was going to write in his journal, possibly in poetic form, about it. He’d originally questioned his habit of writing down his observations on life when he came to school, but had finally decided the others really weren’t interested enough in him to go rummaging through his things and find the place where he’d hidden it between the bed frame and the mattress beneath his headboard, or at least that it would be less bad if they did than it would be if he didn’t write anything down and then forgot about things like this.

Though not completely sure about it, he took the professor’s advice and approached one, very slowly. “Hello,” he said, not sure if they were intelligent enough to understand speech or not, or if being at a school – had the implication been that they lived here? – would impact whether or not they did even if they were capable of it. There was always one more use for something, and always one more question about it, too. “Don’t you dance well? That was very nice.”

16 Russell Layne, Aladren ...There's a lot of directions for that sentence to go. 183 Russell Layne, Aladren 0 5

Fae Sinclar (Crotalus)
February 19, 2011 5:00 PM

Fae Sinclar (Crotalus)
Peripheral
Written by:

...the crazies come out to play by Fae Sinclar (Crotalus)
Fae was not at all happy about having to take Care of Magical Creature lessons. She was not much of an animal person. She liked cats. They were cute and cuddly and the only animal her parents would allow aside from the family owl. Dogs were all slobber and, from what Fae could conclude, a bit dimwitted. Fish were useless. She saw no point in rodents other than the fact that they were dirty. Magical creatures were no better. Maybe even worse since they usually had the properties that could take someone’s life.

On top of her dislike for animals, she also had to have the class outside. She hated the outdoors! There were scary things outside, especially at night. And, for whatever reason, their professor was having them take their lesson in the dark. She could handle doing the lesson in the day, even though she had to wear loads of sun-proof potion to keep her fair skin from getting fried by the sun, because they had a little shelter (really, why did it have to look so rundown? The school had a bunch of benefactors who could easily afford a nicer hut) so that protected her from some of the elements and away from any stray animals. But they were now outside, in the growing darkness, with no idea as to what the professor would be teaching them.

As the professor began to explain their lesson, Fae’s first thoughts went to Werewolves. She knew it was crazy, but considering what they had been learning, it didn’t seem completely far-fetched that there would be a possibility of one day running into one. She would hope that this school – or at least the professors working in the school – wouldn’t force a werewolf on them during a full moon, but there were times when Fae really questioned how things ran in this school. Thankfully though, the professor was talking about Mooncalves and not about werewolves. Although not an animal that she cared to ever see, she would pick it over a werewolf any day of the week.

Despite herself, Fae found herself fascinated by the Mooncalves. She had only ever heard stories or read about them. They were rare and no one ever ventured out to really see them dance during a full moon. Fae honestly didn’t realize that they came out before midnight. In the back of her mind, she had made the assumptions that any animal who only roamed at night, did so when the moon was at it’s highest. She was obviously mistaken since it wasn’t near nine yet and the Mooncalves had already finished their dance.

They were ugly creatures. Very ugly. What exactly were the purpose of these creatures? The only thing they had been told was that they only came out of the ground when the moon was full to do a strange little dance. But what exactly did they contribute to this world that made them useful? Fae let out a soft cry when one of the mooncalves bumped up against, trying to smell her. “No, no, bad calf, go away!” Fae backed away, her hands waving the animal away. “Shoo, go!”

0 Fae Sinclar (Crotalus) ...the crazies come out to play 0 Fae Sinclar (Crotalus) 0 5

Arnold Carey, Aladren
February 21, 2011 12:26 AM

Arnold Carey, Aladren
Alumnus
House: Aladren
Written by:

Age in Post: 11

*Pointedly does not play* by Arnold Carey, Aladren
Care of Magical Creatures, thus far, had been a disappointment to Arnold. He had been looking forward to a class like DADA, only outside like flying lessons. What he’d gotten was a class where he sat in a hut and read a lot about concepts and things he wasn’t interacting with very often, which was right up his twin brother’s alley except for the ‘hut’ part. Huts in general were against the South Carolina Carey code of aesthetics.

Tonight, though, promised to be at least a little different, not least because it was tonight instead of ‘today.’ Arnold had not been one of the people who needed reminding that class was meeting at an unusual time, and had, by the time they made their way down for it, probably annoyed his brother by chatting about it all day; Arthur hadn’t snapped at him, but Arnold had still been a little relieved to get a conspiratory smile when they lit their wands before stepping outside of the building. That had been the first spell they’d ever performed with their own wands, and while there was no way, considering the number of far less significant things he could recall nearly perfectly, Arthur had forgotten that, he hadn’t had to show that he remembered it.

They also extinguished them together when they arrived at class and found it already brightly lit, then moved apart. It wasn’t quite as bad for them as it would have been if they were identical and it would have been hard for their classmates to tell one of them from the other, but there was still something awkward, socially, when they knew each other perfectly and were dealing with people who’d only known them and who they’d only known since the first of September, so they had started staying apart when they could during lessons. There was nothing they could do about their living situation except try to downplay their relationship as far as they could without seeming unnatural insulting the other boys’ intelligence, but they had a little more control over things during lessons.

Arnold was not a mystic, not like his brother, but he was able to see something eerie in the dance of the mooncalves. It was something about the synchronization, the way they didn’t bump into each other at all the way someone in a human dance class was going to – as though they had one brain. Maybe it was because a focus of his and Arthur’s upbringing had been that their inheritances were going to be meager and they would need to be able to act for themselves, or the handful of minor figures in their lives who’d treated them as more or less the same person and been surprised when they reacted poorly and made it clear that being born on the same day did not make them exactly alike in every way, but he couldn’t help but find the total lack of individuality a little disturbing.

It wasn’t comforting, either, to see how they went from that to acting like cows with appetites, but he took the professor up on the offer to approach them. Started to, anyway; his pride wouldn’t allow anything else, until honor got involved. He hadn’t spoken to her before – Arthur might have, in passing, but Arnold was sure he hadn’t – but he recognized Miss Sinclair from classes, and the response to the letter Arthur had sent Father had mentioned that she was one of the people they should make the acquaintance of. Rescuing her from the creepy cow seemed like a good way to do that, so he put himself between her and it.

“Go away,” he said, more firmly than she had, and helped the cause by touching its shoulder to steer it in the right direction. He then, remembering proprieties, used a quick charm to clean the hand in question. “Back that way, now.” Then Arnold, too, stepped back. “Are you all right, Miss Sinclair?”

0 Arnold Carey, Aladren *Pointedly does not play* 181 Arnold Carey, Aladren 0 5

Luka Anastanov [Pecari, 1st year]
February 21, 2011 2:22 AM

Luka Anastanov [Pecari, 1st year]
Peripheral
Written by:

... the Mooncalves dance by Luka Anastanov [Pecari, 1st year]
This was the first class Luka was remotely interested in. It wasn’t that he was not good in the other classes, but having practised magic from an advanced age, he found them useless and disappointing. Living in a remote village in a low-key country had its advantages – he had been performing wand magic from the day he could pronounce spells.

Care of Magical Creatures would seem a waste of a class too, because he didn’t exactly take care of animals. More like put them on people’s plate, he thought with a smirk. But, unlike what most would think, Luka wasn’t impassionate about animals. They were his livelihood. If anyone thought a hunter did not love animals, they were wrong. A hunter loves an animal – but he has to perform atrocities in the name of his ‘job’. No one would understand what trespasses between the determined gaze of the hunter and and the pleading eyes of the prey, in those few moments of trepidation, before he releases his arrow. No one but a hunter can live with that.

Luka had seen Mooncalves before, in the forests of Korab, and they were playful creatures. Luka had no use for them – no one ate these strange-looking meek creatures. And he wasn’t particularly fond of dancing.

After the strangely co-ordinated dancing stopped, Professor Cohen asked them to approach the Mooncalves.

Luka stepped slowly towards one. As if sensing him, the Mooncalf tilted its head curiously. Luka slowly kneeled down before it – years of living in close vicinity of animals, wild and domesticated alike made his instincts so sharp that he knew exactly what to do to calm down an animal, to let it know he wasn’t an enemy.

Luka raised his hand, gently bringing it down on the Mooncalf’s head. It seemed to tense immediately, but the gentle touch of his palm soothed it. Luka gently stroked its head. He rubbed his thumb behind its ears, and the Mooncalf let out an amused cry.

Luka could not help but laugh. “You like that, don’t you, you silly little creature?” he said, petting the Mooncalf, and scratching its ear. The Mooncalf seemed delighted and stomped on its stick-like front legs, sticking out its tongue to lick his hand. Luka allowed it, suddenly feeling at home in this strange school.

0 Luka Anastanov [Pecari, 1st year] ... the Mooncalves dance 0 Luka Anastanov [Pecari, 1st year] 0 5

Derwent Pierce IV, Teppenpaw
February 22, 2011 2:45 PM

Derwent Pierce IV, Teppenpaw
Alumnus
House: Teppenpaw
Written by: Nathan

Age in Post: 11

... the Pierces stay inside by Derwent Pierce IV, Teppenpaw
At first, Derry had been very excited about the change in the Care of Magical Creature routine. While he certainly hadn't been bored with the previous direction classes had taken, he'd thought it would be fun to switch things up a little. But then he realized that the new time meant walking outside after dark.

Derry was not afraid of the dark. That was a key thing; he was a Pierce and Pierces were not afraid of the dark. But he was afraid of the Nothing, and the Nothing came out at night.

He wasn't quite sure what a Nothing was or what it looked like, but as the sun went down, Mom would come out to fetch him from his play, and she'd jump at a sound in the woods, and then she'd say, 'It was Nothing. Come inside now.' He was pretty sure they got worse around the Full Moon, too.

So he clutched his glowing wand and tried not to let on to his Housemates (who he'd waited for because he wasn't coming out here alone) that every rustle under the hedges made him jump. He didn't want them to think he was a coward, but asking him to walk through Nothing infested Gardens was asking a little much of him, he thought.

He was glad when they finally reached the open and better lit area where class was being held. Not only did Nothings not like light, but the professor was there if anything attacked. He stuck with his friends for most of the lecture, but as the moon calves came up, he drifted away from them for a closer look.

After watching them dance, Derry decided they were a little creepy but probably not the Nothings that lived in the woods of Mt. Pierce. They weren't really scary enough and they didn't sound very dangerous.

Still, they came out of the ground, only at night, with quiet rustling sounds, so he was somewhat wary about approaching them on the off chance they were the same kind of creature as the Nothings that had stalked him for most of his life.

So he knelt down on the ground (it was going to mess up his knee length knickers and the white knee high socks beneath them, but he'd found the prairie elves were every bit as good at getting stains out as the house elves back home) and watched his nearest classmate interact with one instead.

Well, talk to it. Derry tilted his head to the side (though not too far because the tri-corner hat was a little bit too big for him yet), curious. "You think it understands?" he asked, accepting the possibility as soon as he thought to consider it, though it was equally possible Russell was just talking to it the same way Derry talked to his photograph of Three knowing full well that it neither understood nor cared what he said to it. It would keep smiling or waving - or eating grass, in the mooncalves' case - regardless of what you did or didn't do.

But just in case they did understand, Derry added his own compliment to the mooncalf Russell had addressed. "I agree. That was a very nice dance."

1 Derwent Pierce IV, Teppenpaw ... the Pierces stay inside 189 Derwent Pierce IV, Teppenpaw 0 5

Ryan O'Malley, Crotalus
February 22, 2011 11:07 PM

Ryan O'Malley, Crotalus
Alumnus
House: Crotalus
Written by: Allegra Brockert

Age in Post: 12
Birthday: January 10

...the werewolves attack. by Ryan O'Malley, Crotalus
Ryan was not all that fond of Care of Magical Creatures. Well, that wasn't exactly accurate, he didn't mind the subject matter. He just didn't like when the class was outside because his allergies would act up. The Crotalus boy had rather bad ones. He'd start sneezing and his nose would run. He'd get all congested and his eyes would burn. Outside was not a pleasant place to Ryan. It was almost as bad as cats. He had found out over the summer that he was severely allergic to the species, when a stray one had found its way to his grandparents' property.

The second year especially didn't like anyone seeing him have an allergy attack. He was terribly afraid that people would make fun of him for it. His mother did and his sister did. Ryan's mom was critical of him for not liking to go outside like a normal boy because he was a weakling with allergies. However, the Crotalus knew that if he had liked going outside and playing like his mother said boys were supposed to, she'd yell at him for tracking dirt all over her house.

He wouldn't go to the Medic for a potion either, as then the Medic would think less of him. She would find him weak and whiny and say he was a hypochondriac. His mother would say that about Ryan too. If Ryan was sick, she'd accuse him of faking, then when she realized he wasn't, would demand his father take him to his grandparents before he could infect her or Carrie. She always treated Ryan as if he was contaminated anyway. In his entire life, the Crotalus couldn't remember her touching him even once. Which might have actually been for the best.

Besides, the allergy medications Ryan had tried had made him drowsy and he could not afford to sleep through classes. That would lead to nothing but trouble. He might fail his classes and Ryan didn't even want to imagine what would happen then . He shuddered just thinking about it. The second year really needed to try a non-drowsy potion.

Ryan was, however, completely agreeable to the time change. He was so much more alert at night, even if he wasn't the most energetic twelve year old in existance. He did so much better at his classes if they were later in the day, in the morning he was still too tired. If Ryan could keep his allergies under control-something highly unlikely-he might do fairly well on this lesson.

Naturally, even though the effects of being outside were nearly immediate and Ryan instantly could feel his eyes water up, he tried his best to listen to every word Professor Cohen said. If he didn't, he might get in trouble and Ryan was deathly afraid of getting in trouble. He'd been in it enough to know how bad the consequences could be for him. Not just here, but at home. Detention would be one thing, but unless Professor Cohen decided to punish Ryan by making him take of cats outside in the middle of allergy season, whatever his mother came up with would be much much worse. She delighted in torturing Ryan when he hadn't even done anything, so if he legitimately did something wrong, it would be that much more horrible.

In fact, his mother would make him take care of cats outside during allergy season as a punishment, if she didn't hate animals herself and knew that Ryan was allergic to them, which she didn't. He was convinced that if he had any food allergies, his mother would order the house elves to serve him up a plate.

The Crotalus breathed a sigh of relief when the professor announced that they would be viewing Mooncalves. They were a nice, hypoallergenic animal that would also not eat him. Not that Ryan had any animal allergies other than cats. As they began to graze, the Crotalus went out to pet one.

11 Ryan O'Malley, Crotalus ...the werewolves attack. 176 Ryan O'Malley, Crotalus 0 5

James Owen
February 23, 2011 11:27 AM

James Owen
Alumnus
House: Aladren
Written by:

Age in Post: 12

Mooncalves, not werewolves by James Owen
james was not at all impressed that the professor had decided to move their lesson time. The schedule was there for a reason - the staff were supposed to stick to it so that the students had routine! James' routine had been broken, and that had a tendency to make him grumpy. He didn't understand why everyone else wasn't grumpy, too. It was like serving breakfast at four o'clock in the afternoon, or going to bed at midday. Classes in the evening were not precedented, nevermind the large gap James had in the middle of the day that would normally be filled with a Care of Magical Creatures lesson, but had been instead filled with homework assignments so he was now confused about what day of the week it really was. Later he was going to be confused about the time of day, too, he could tell, and there was no way he was going to get to sleep properly if his mind was still awake thanks to the late lesson. Seriosuly, if his professors wanted him to learn they shouldn't make it so difficult.

Fortunately, the mooncalves did as they were supposed to and came up out of the ground to do a dance. This impressed James substantially that he almost forgot about being grumpy because they were such peculiar looking creatures and they moved in perfect unison. It was remarkable, really. No crup could ever pull something like that off, and no chicken could even run in a straight line when you chased it, let alone dance in synchronized movements. And those eyes were so big he reckoned the mooncalves had to have excellent vision. They didn't even quite look like they came from this palnet. James liked them.

When the odd-lookijng creatures stopped dancing and started grazing, James did as the professor suggested and made his way forward in the gloom to try touching one of them. he wanted to know what that skin felt like. The mooncalf he approached was simultaneously approached by another boy. In a reasonable mood by this stage, James kindly offered that the other person (he was no good with names) could go first. "You go ahead," he said, gesturing towards the mooncalf.

0 James Owen Mooncalves, not werewolves 168 James Owen 0 5

Fae
February 23, 2011 6:30 PM

Fae
Peripheral
Written by:

*Appreciates that* by Fae
The mooncalf did not want to listen to her at all. Fae felt very helpless and very small trying to shoo the ugly creature away. It just stared at her with those big giant eyes. The expression (if these things had expression any way) seemed to suggest that this creature was highly confused by Fae. Either that, or he felt she was incredibly crazy for asking it to move in the first place. Maybe she was crazy for having asked. The thing certainly didn’t understand her (at least, the Professor did not say that they understood the English language) and so her asking it to politely step away from her was just pathetic.

Fae was feeling extremely panicky because this calf would not leave her alone! She didn’t know what to do. She didn’t want to start screaming (even though that was exactly what she wanted to do) and she didn’t want to request for the teacher’s assistance because that would make her look horribly weak and if that ever got around to her parents that Fae had been so scared that she brought attention to herself by calling out to the professor, Fae would never live it down.

If these creatures were so creepy looking, it wouldn’t be so bad. If they were fluffy and cute and didn’t live in the dirt, Fae might have taken a liking to them. But since they buried themselves beneath the surface and only came out once a month to dance a really odd dance on their skinny little legs, staring up at the moon with their giant eyes, Fae only found repulsion of them once they actually stopped dancing and she was no longer hypnotized by their movements. Why did magical creatures have to be so weird? Non-magical animals were usually quite nice to at least look at.

”Go away”

The new voice almost frightened Fae because she had at first thought that it had come from the Mooncalf. She thought she had gone utterly insane from just staring at it in a panic. But then a boy stepped between her and the creature and she realized that the boy was the one who spoke and not the creature. Fae visibly relaxed, feeling relieved that she hadn’t lost her mind in those last few moments, but also because someone had come to her rescue without her actually having to ask for the save. Still, she felt embarrassed both for thinking the mooncalf spoke to her and for having been scared in the first place.

A blush crept across her cheeks and she was eternally grateful that the light from the torches weren’t enough to give away the hue of her cheeks. When the boy spoke to her, she finally saw his face in full view and realized it was one of the Carey twins – not sure of which one though since she hadn’t had a chance to really interact with either. Oh Merlin! She had just looked like an idiot in front of one of the people her father wrote in her letter to be the perfect lady around. What if he told his parents and it got around to hers? She had to save face now.

“Yes, thank you Mr. Carey.” Fae said, ignoring her blush and putting on a smile. Her mother said her dimples made her look extra cute, so she needed to smile whenever around prospects. “You rescued me from that… creature.” Fae said, laughing slightly at herself for having needed help at all. “That was very kind of you.” She paused for a moment, unsure as to what to say. Topher wasn’t so formal, so chatting had been easy. Same with Phoenix. But Carey had been formal like Sara, so Fae was at a loss as to what to say. “You may call me Fae, if you’d like. Ms. Sinclair makes me feel a bit, well, old.”

0 Fae *Appreciates that* 0 Fae 0 5

Hope Brockert, Teppenpaw
February 24, 2011 8:21 PM

Hope Brockert, Teppenpaw
Alumnus
House: Teppenpaw
Written by: Allegra Brockert

Age in Post: 11

...er, it's really bright? by Hope Brockert, Teppenpaw
Hope sighed to herself as she reached the clearing. She wanted to look forward to this class as she did most things. However, she had gotten a letter from her mother earlier in the day saying that Harmony was quite sick and in the hospital again. That made Hope sad, as she'd become close to her cousin's fiance last summer. The first year just wanted her to be okay.

She wanted everyone to be okay. Hope really didn't want to see anyone sick or hurt or sad. It really bothered her to do so. Especially someone she cared about. All the first year would want to do is help them, but sometimes, she couldn't and that upset her too.

Nothing in the world frustrated Hope so much as that. Not even not understanding a lesson, though so far she actually had. Though she had yet to master some of them, such as changing an animate object to an inanimate one. Transfiguration was often thought to be one of the hardest subjects. Hope doubted she would ever be the top of her class but that was okay. It was far more important to her to be kind, helpful and a good person than to beat her classmates in academics.

As Professor Cohen began to speak about Mooncalves, Hope tried to listen but she couldn't focus. What if Harmony died ? Not only would Hope miss her but Marshall would definitely be upset. He'd had a break down years ago, when she was little, and the Teppenpaw was worried that her cousin could have another one if he lost the woman he loved. And he might never recover. That scared Hope terribly. She didn't want Marshall to end up in a locked ward.

She stood there while the Mooncalves danced. To anyone, it would appear that Hope was entranced by the creatures, which she had been expecting to see, as they'd been studying them earlier in the week and the Teppenpaw couldn't see Professor Cohen changing the time if they weren't studying a creature that only came out during the full moon. However, despite that fact that she'd really been looking forward to seeing the Mooncalves, Hope wasn't paying a bit of attention to them.

As they began to graze, Hope walked over and sat down against a tree. It appeared that all they were to do was pet the Mooncalves if they wanted, and Hope didn't really feel like it.

11 Hope Brockert, Teppenpaw ...er, it's really bright? 186 Hope Brockert, Teppenpaw 0 5

Sophie Jamison [Pecari]
February 25, 2011 12:33 PM

Sophie Jamison [Pecari]
Former Staff
House: Pecari
Subject: Potions
Written by: Casey

Age in Post: 12
Birthday: December 25th

Maybe I should've brought sunglasses. by Sophie Jamison [Pecari]
Sophie liked Care of Magical Creatures. She liked animals, always had. Muggle creatures were cool and all, like her dog and all of the birds in the aviary at her house, but Magical creatures were just… amazing. Like, some of them could do crazy magic stuff that even witches and wizards couldn’t do. That was just impressive.

Like Mooncalves. They tunneled underground and then danced in the moonlight?! That was amazing. If they were underground, how would they know when to come up? Animal instincts always impressed the twelve year old, and she wished the Mooncalves spoke English--or German, for that matter--so she could ask them her questions.

Professor Cohen told the class to be quiet and not interrupt the Mooncalves’ dance, but Sophie had to struggle to do so. Seeing the creatures come up made her want to squeal in delight. They were so funny looking! The blonde had to suppress a giggle, and that in itself was a struggle for her.

All humor faded away when they began to dance. They were so graceful that their outward appearances hardly mattered anymore. The only noise the Pecari had to suppress was uttering a whoa. Their dance made her want to learn more about them. Sophie reasoned that if she could learn how to be graceful like them, copy their movements, it could possibly help her Quidditch. If she evaded and rushed like they danced, Pecari would no doubt win every match.

After the dance, the twelve year old couldn’t help but applaud a little bit, quietly so she didn’t startle the Mooncalves terribly much. Sophie was then about to go talk to her friend Ryan, who had gone over to pet one, but a sad-looking girl caught her eye. This girl was just sitting against a tree, not doing much of anything.

So instead of petting one of the Mooncalves or talking to Ryan, she went over to the girl. Standing in front of her, the blonde Pecari spoke. “Hey kid, you okay?” she asked with concern in her voice. “Is something wrong?” Sophie couldn’t just let her sit there alone and be sad because that would make her almost as bad as whoever or whatever made the girl that way. Instead, she sat down on the grass beside her.

12 Sophie Jamison [Pecari] Maybe I should've brought sunglasses. 34 Sophie Jamison [Pecari] 0 5

Renée Errant {Crotalus}
February 25, 2011 5:52 PM

Renée Errant {Crotalus}
Peripheral
Written by:

And the people play by Renée Errant {Crotalus}
Renée was the first student to arrive at the Labyrinth Gardens. She had hurried there after eating her dinner, throwing on a coat, and just generally beaming around her as she went to her favorite class. Well, more like her only class. She just couldn't seem to take all her other classes seriously. Why be inside when there were the gardens to explore, creatures to find out and amuse herself with. Care of Magical Creatures was the only class she ever took seriously, where she actually gave an effort to study, because it was the only topic she was passionate about. Besides her family (and especially Gabriel) Renée really couldn't be bothered with people. 'Well, Neal is rather nice.' She smiled in thought while the rest of the students arrived to gather around the Professor. The second year thought it her right to be constantly amused, and while human beings couldn't always provide this, animals usually could.

Her mouth parted open now in pleasure, as her point was being proved. "So beautiful..." Her voice trailed off as the moon dance continued, the strange ethereal creatures moving in perfect harmony in front of her widened brown eyes. At the end of the mesmerizing dance, it took Renée a full minute to recover from the beauty, while everyone else seemed to have bounded toward a creature. Lips forming into a pout, she tucked a long dark curl behind her ear and made her way to a mooncalf, having wanted to steal one away from herself. She wouldn't have minded sharing so much, but very few students at Sonora appreciated animals as much as she did, at least in her mind.

She turned her head, looking around for a calf not crowded by too many people. She saw a boy to her right, and heard the calf he was with give a cry that sounded like pleasure. Smiling a slightly crooked smile, Renée looked up at the moon, enjoying the sight, imagining she could feel rays of moonshine fall on her very tanned skin. She felt illuminated with feeling. She walked toward the boy but was focusing only on the calf. Remembering the niffler at the library, she whistled experimentally at it. The calf paused in licking the boy's hand and looked at her for a moment. Dark brown eyes looked into stranger ones. She crouched down and whistled again, low and melodic. The calf bounded to her.

She laughed, stroking it, watching in delight as it rolled onto its back and she acquiesced with the unspoken command and rubbed its belly. She remembered Tug, the Crup she and Neal had played with last year. He would have liked this calf as well. The calf rolled over again and cried out at her, nuzzling her still outstretched hand and she smiled until she felt something sharp. "Hey!" She took her hand away, inspecting the mark on her index finger. "You think that's funny?" She playfully scolded the calf who almost seemed to be grinning at her before it backed away and headed back to the boy, giving another amused cry at Renée. She glanced at the boy and then back at the calf. It almost seemed like it wanted her to chase him. "Looks like he's up to mischief, doesn't he?" She brushed more curls out of her face, still grinning into the eyes of the playful calf.

0 Renée Errant {Crotalus} And the people play 0 Renée Errant {Crotalus} 0 5

Arnold
February 25, 2011 6:48 PM

Arnold
Alumnus
House: Aladren
Written by:

Age in Post: 11

*Is glad* by Arnold
He supposed it had been at the back of his mind when he intervened in the mooncalf situation, but confronted with someone else saying it out loud, Arnold wasn’t sure if he should be pleased or embarrassed by Miss Sinclair casting him in the role of her champion. It didn’t really matter, since acting either pleased or embarrassed would be a bit tasteless, but he liked to know what he knew.

“I wouldn’t want to make you do that,” he said when she requested that he use her given name, not sure if he should be glad of the lack of formality or worried for when he went home. He had enough trouble remembering the rules when he practiced them on a regular basis; if he spent months here not practicing them at all, he wasn’t sure he would be able to remember when Grandmother demanded that he do so. It didn’t matter so much while it was just practice, but school age was usually about the time party attendance became a regular event during the holidays. “I’m Arnold.” He smiled. “Since Mr. Carey makes me feel a little, er, confused.”

He was assuming she would have not only heard the roll calls – their parents really couldn't have saddled them with more twin-like names while they weren't girls named after their great-great-grandmother – but also have some awareness of Edmond. Even just knowing he was a twin who shared a dorm with his twin, though, should have explained the remark well enough. Two Mr. Careys in the same year, in the same House, was confusing enough; on the Quidditch Pitch, it would have gotten insane if three of them had insisted on maintaining the formalities. First names, even for Edmond, were essential, because however he and Arthur reminded themselves that they were Arnold and Arthur and Edmond was Mr. Carey, they couldn’t help but turn when they heard someone say it.

That was how Arthur had explained it to him, anyway, to get him to stop looking so confused by Edmond’s behavior, and Arnold had to agree that it made sense, so that was the explanation he was going with. He didn’t always agree with his twin, but Arthur had an annoying habit of turning out to be right, to the point where Arnold occasionally wondered if he were secretly a time traveler, so he tried to make himself at least hear him out most of the time.

“But it was nothing,” he said, gesturing toward the mooncalf. “I was glad to help.” He then promptly stalled out for anything to say. Where was Arthur when he needed him, like around adults and proper society girls? They’d both been given lessons on how to carry on a conversation, especially with those they had to show respect to, but Arthur was the one who was really good at it. “I didn’t really know what to expect when I heard class was going to be held this late,” he came up with. It felt too abrupt to him, and boring, but he had to say something and hope it got better from there.

0 Arnold *Is glad* 181 Arnold 0 5

Regina Parker (Teppenpaw)
February 25, 2011 11:19 PM

Regina Parker (Teppenpaw)
Alumnus
House: Teppenpaw
Written by: Amelle Nicchi

Age in Post: 11

My mind has been blown. by Regina Parker (Teppenpaw)
Regina could feel her heart pounding painfully in her chest as she stood just outside the door to the school. She wondered if any of her friends around her could hear it because she could have sworn that they could. Her breathing was shallow, her hazel eyes wide as she took in her surroundings as she clutched her small crystal ball to her chest. The moment she heard that they would be having class outside at night, Reggie had been having small panic attacks. She hated the dark. It was her biggest hear. Not the dark itself, but the things that lurked in the dark. Her father kept telling her that it was mainly her imagination. She always tried to remind herself that it was all in her head. That she had nothing to be afraid of, but the smallest noise or rustle had her in near tears.

Right now she had not yet reached that level of panic, but that was only because she was surrounded by her friends and the rest of her classmates. But if she lagged behind and was left in the dark alone, Reggie really would flip a lid and probably shed a tear or two until someone came to rescue her. Reggie already had a nice crowd of friends, but she didn’t want to look so weak and pathetic in front of them. That would just be embarrassing and she’d have to write to her father telling him about what had happened and he’d be all worried about her well being. It was just not a win-win situation. So, that settled it. She had to do this whether she liked it or not.

Clutching her ball closer to her, Reggie followed the rest of the group down the paths until they reached their professor. She was very happy that he had lighting for them, but it didn’t make her any less uneasy about it. When the sun started to fade and disappear beyond the horizon, the shadows began to play with Reggie. She thought she would see movement or hear something and she became more and more on edge.

She tried to focus her attention on the professor, but her mind was far too jittery for that. She just couldn’t stop hearing the world beyond the reach of the light. The dimming of the lights caught her attention and Reggie’s panic went into overdrive. But only briefly because the ground began to move as the strange creatures began to dig their way back to the surface. She could feel her heartbeating again. Hard and with purpose. Closing her eyes, Reggie took a deep breath and counted. Her dad had told her this was a way of calming herself, but it wasn’t working, especially sine she heard and sensed from her classmates that the creatures had surfaced.

Opening her eyes slowly, Reggie found herself staring at a bunch of Mooncalves. Okay, so not so scary. Definitely weird and eery (seriously, that dance was creepy!), but not scary. She watched them as though hynotized. In the moments she had watched their dance, her heart had slowed to normal and she had forgotten all about the things that went bump in the night. Their ugly beings enraptured her for reasons she didn’t understand and held her until they fell back onto all fours.

Although she was no longer in a panic, she felt a little …vulnerable. As though she had lost time and someone had done a dance on her. Not to say the mooncalves did anything to her, she just felt off. Frowning, Reggie looked at her closest neighbor, “Do you feel weird now?” She asked in all seriousness. She wanted to know if it was just her who felt strange and sluggish.

6 Regina Parker (Teppenpaw) My mind has been blown. 187 Regina Parker (Teppenpaw) 0 5

Fae
February 26, 2011 5:54 PM

Fae
Peripheral
Written by:

You are not scary or crazy by Fae
Fae wasn’t sure how this Carey would take her request to be called by her first name. Her parents never taught her really how to interact with others since she was too young to attend their social parties. Shelby had been a natural with all of this and even though she currently attends an all girl boarding school in the North East, she could twine a guy around her finger with just a smile. Jaiden, her brother, was equally charming. Fae did not share these same qualities. Her parents had picked up on this fact when she was young and had done their best to shelter her from the rest of the world so that she wasn’t an embarrassment.

The only problem was that they didn’t take into account her Great Grandfather and his decision to send her off to a new school to make new connections. Had they been aware that he would make this decision, her parents would have prepared and groomed her to interact properly around others.

But, he didn’t seem at all put off by it since he gave her his name (which was definitely a good thing because now she knew which one of the twins he was). She laughed when he admitted being called by his surname would be confusing. Considering the amount of Careys that Fae was aware of at this school, calling anyone of them by their surname would confuse anyone. “Yeah, I can appreciate that. I’m sure it’s terrible enough with your brother, but your house Prefect is also a Carey, correct?” She wasn’t sure if the older Carey was their brother or just another relative. If Sonora got the okay from her Great Grandfather, there would be more Sinclairs here, but they didn’t all share the same last name.

“I could imagine it would be confusing if I went to the same school as my sister.” Fae commented. “Although, she’s in her fourth year, so it may not be too horrible.” She added. She would not also added the fact that her sister was one of the ‘popular’ girls that went to the academy and really, Fae would have just been following her around in her shadow. There wasn’t likely to be any confusion at all, but Arnold did not need to know how pathetic Fae actually was. Her parents told her to put up the best front she had even if she didn’t feel like that was exactly who she was.

And then the awkward silence hit. Maybe over Christmas she could ask Jaiden how to do all of this if she still didn’t have a handle on it by then. He was always nice enough to give her some help when she needed it. She was really going to need better lessons other than ‘just smile and look pretty’ that her mother had been telling her to do. Conversations were awkward for her because no one told her how to do small talk the right way. She really couldn’t wait until all the introductions were over and conversations were normal again. Or, at least, she didn’t feel so uncomfortable.

“Oh, uh, me either.” Fae said, her blush returning as she thought about how much she disliked the outdoors and just how creepy she felt being out at night. “I wasn’t allowed outside after dark, so this is new to me. I don’t really think I like it much though. It’s cold and a bit scary out here.” Fae shivered just at the mention of those things. “Still, it was fun to watch them dance, even if they aren’t very pretty to look at.” Fae said, glancing at the Mooncalves. “Do you have any pets?”

0 Fae You are not scary or crazy 0 Fae 0 5

Arnold
February 27, 2011 8:38 PM

Arnold
Alumnus
House: Aladren
Written by:

Age in Post: 11

Why, thank you. Neither are you. by Arnold
Arthur would have already been speculating about what Fae’s comments meant, but Arnold didn’t read too much into it. They looked different, but it wasn’t much of a stretch to imagine that the fellows called Arnold and Arthur Carey were at least brothers, and Edmond had two badges and was head of his family, which made him stand out even more than being nearly six feet tall already did. It was not remarkable to him that they would all be linked together.

“Correct,” he said. “Though we’re not from the same branch. Arthur and I are of the South Carolina Careys. Edmond is from Georgia.” Which, in the south, was really all he’d need to say about that, and might be anyway; surely Grandfather and the Fourth weren’t the only ones who considered the Morgaine situation scandalous, and she spent most of her time up north now anyway.

His branch, though, was Respectable. That was how they defined themselves. He was Arnold Augustus Carey, eldest son of Anthony Carey VII, third-eldest grandson of Anthony Carey VI and great-great-grandson of Anthony Carey IV. His grandmother and great-grandmother were both model ladies from good families, and his great-great-grandmother was Belinda Hamilton, the last of a very respectable line and one of the great hostesses of her generation. Even trying to list all the good families he was connected to by marriage was enough to make even Arthur have to stop and go back and correct himself somewhere. So much respectability, for so long, that sometimes Arnold thought he would choke on it.

That, though, wasn’t something that was said aloud, especially not to a pretty girl he’d just saved from a mooncalf and was trying to be charming in his conversation with. “That would help,” he agreed when she said her sister was in fourth year. He and Arthur were only just enough younger than Edmond’s foster sister, Jane, for class overlap to not be a problem, though her being a Miss Carey made it irrelevant. There weren’t any other girls from their family at Sonora now. “I’m sure you could never be confused with anyone else, though,” he added. Compliments were important. “Where does your sister attend?”

He didn’t mention how strange that sounded to him, sending siblings to different schools. He still occasionally found himself turning to say something to Anthony at supper sometimes, or when he and Arthur commandeered a table in the library every Saturday to do all their work for the upcoming week, and being confused when his little brother wasn’t underfoot to be spoken to. For some reason, he had no idea why, Anthony liked him better than he did Arthur, and had followed him and Father around in more or less equal proportion since he learned to crawl. It was strange enough to not have him around most of the time for just a few years, but if he had come here and Arthur had been sent somewhere else and Anthony somewhere else besides that, that would have been more than a decade, all told, in which the three of them barely saw each other. He didn’t even think he and Arthur would still be very close after that, and not much more than casual acquaintances with Anthony.

Arnold nodded when Fae mentioned she had never been allowed outside after dark before. His girl cousins weren’t, either. Really, he and his brothers and their other cousins weren’t exactly allowed, but it was usually quietly overlooked that they sometimes did anyway. Not so for girls. “I’m sure it’s safe,” he said, he hoped reassuringly. “But I’ll make sure nothing bothers you if there is – er – something.” He could all but see his etiquette tutor wincing at the way that sentence had been constructed.

“Grandmother has a kneazle,” he volunteered when she asked if he had any pets. “It was Great-Aunt Eugenie’s before she died.” By a stroke of bad luck, Anthony the Sixth’s maiden sister and his wife had almost the same name; if Aunt Eugenie hadn’t died and had continued to live with him and Grandmother Eugenia, Arnold imagined things would have been very confusing. “Grandmother and Grandfather don’t live with us, but I spend a lot of time with them, so it’s almost like a pet.” He grinned. “I also have a younger brother, who’s also almost the same thing. Do you have pets or many siblings?”

0 Arnold Why, thank you. Neither are you. 181 Arnold 0 5

Josephine Owen
February 28, 2011 1:53 PM

Josephine Owen
Alumnus
House: Pecari
Written by:

Age in Post: 11

Sorry to hear that by Josephine Owen
Going to care of magical creatures classes was often a pleasant surprise for Josephine. Provided she didn't have to get really close to the creatures - she was anxious that they might bite her - the Pecari had a really fun time being outside and learning about this critter and that. She was less certain that she would enjoy Professor Cohen's night time class. Josephine threw on an extra sweater under her robes before heading out to class after she'd eatn. Class after she'd eaten? Now, Josephine liked class, but that just felt strange. At the same time its strangeness was sort of exciting, as was being outside in the dark - the first year didn't think she'd done that yet at Sonora.

Having waved a 'hello' to her brother, who promptly ignored her, Josephine hung with people in her own year while the professor explained about mooncalves, and the class waited for them to appear. Being shorter than most other students in the class, Josephine stood on tiptoe as she peered round people's heads and shoulders. She didn't want to stand at the front because the creatures were sort of creepy, but she did want to see the dance. It was weird, eerie, but sort of cool, she supposed, the way the creatures moved in unison in the moonlight. Almost pretty, but not quite.

They were supposed to go and pet one now, but Josephine wasn't sure she actually wanted to touch a mooncalf. She hesitated a while, and the girl near her hesitated too, and said, "Do you feel weird now?"

Josephine looked at the other girl, who looked a little stressed out Josephine thought, but then she didn't actually know her. Maybe that's just what she looked like. "I have a little indigestion," Josephine replied, though she thought that had a lot to do with the large amount of pasta she'd wolfed down before class, and little to do with whatever her classmate was asking about.

0 Josephine Owen Sorry to hear that 196 Josephine Owen 0 5

Fae
February 28, 2011 8:20 PM

Fae
Peripheral
Written by:

I'm pleased to hear that! by Fae
Fae never quite understood why it was necessary to tell everyone where the branch of her family was located. Maybe for some families it distinguished different based on location (Fae had heard rumors of families that was respectable in one branch and not at all in another), but her family was equal in their respectability and honor. Or, so Fae had been led to believe. Of course, each branch had various connections, but none was better than the other. Arnold distinguishing the two meant little to Fae, but she stored the knowledge away for safe keeping.

Fae had been given the okay to speak to the Careys, but she had not been given communication regarding the different branches. The only thing her father had written was that the older Carey had a close female relative who had gone to school for Healing. As much as her father did not believe a woman should work, that was not the inexcusable thing that had her father heated. No, it was the fact that she was a working single woman from a high standing family. Her father believed that all women from proper families were to be married by the age of 22 (should they go to University) and if they weren’t, they should be cast from the family. Their great grandfather said their father was being to kind to allow a woman an education, but her father said he saw no point in having unintelligent daughters. Her parents had no fear for Shelby. She would meet someone and easily have herself a betrothal once she graduated, but Fae felt her parents did not have the same confidence in her.

Fae ducked her head slightly at his comment. She wasn’t sure if he was being nice or not. She doubted she could even be mistaken for her sister, even on a good day, let alone anyone else. Fae wasn’t good enough for things like that. Her parents told her she would learn, but she knew that they didn’t really feel that. They never let her out of their sight, never let her go to parties like they had with Shelby. Her only hope was to trick someone into thinking she could do well as a wife. But, she had time to figure all that out. At least seven years, and four additional ones if she decided to continue on to University.

“She attends Cliodna Academy for Ladies” Fae told Arnold. “I was to attend there as well, but Great Grandfather wanted to make connections further west and so he sent me here instead. He-uh-is hoping that I make a few successful impressions on well, people like you.” Fae gave what could only be construed as an apologize smile. As though her attending the same school as him was a terrible burden for him. “Anyway, I’m glad I was able to come here, I’ve been able to meet many different people thus far.”

Fae’s blue eyes glanced around again when Arnold said it was safe. She was pretty sure a school would have to be safe otherwise parents wouldn’t send their children here. She shifted back to him when he said he’d keep her safe from the bad things. He was doing what her mother said boys did. What did she call it? Their masculinity. If they saw a helpless girl, they felt compelled to help her. To show her that he was a real man. Well, technically, her mother was telling that to Shelby, but Fae had been in the room as well. Fae smiled sweetly, her dimples showing as they always did when she smiled, “Do you promise?” She asked him. If he meant it, than she would definitely take him up on it. They’ll be outside quite a bit during this lesson and if she had someone looking out for her, she wouldn’t have to be terrified.

Fae shook her head. “No pets. My parents find them to be dirty. We might get away with a cat, but Mother says not until I’m older.” Fae shrugged. Her mother told her that quite a bit. “Other than Shelby, I have an older brother. His name is Jaiden and he’s currently attending Sapienti University. I’m the youngest and I’d like to hope I don’t act like anyone’s pet.” Fae joked.

0 Fae I'm pleased to hear that! 0 Fae 0 5

Reggie
February 28, 2011 8:52 PM

Reggie
Alumnus
House: Teppenpaw
Written by: Amelle Nicchi

Age in Post: 11

Is it a bad thing? by Reggie
Reggie had no idea what the girl was talking about. She had not meant did she feel weird because of an imbalance occurring in her stomach due to food digestion errors. She was referring to the moon-cow things that had just done a very strange dance in front of them and now Reggie was feeling lightheaded. Still, the response brought out a little laugh in her and she momentarily forgotten her fear again. “Um, no, that wasn’t what I meant. Although, my dad loves the fruity Tums whenever he has heartburn or indigestion. You could always check with the school Medic to see if they keep any of that on hand or a potion for it. Especially if you get it a lot like Dad does. Seriously, he just pops those suckers like they were candy.” Reggie mused. Just thinking about it made her miss her dad all the more.

Reggie shook herself to get herself out of the funk she was currently in. They were safe. Their professor wouldn’t let anything happen to them even if they couldn’t see beyond the reach of the light. It was just a silly little fear that she needed to get over with. Yes, the dark could be scary, but it shouldn’t scare her enough to completely flake out. Her dad told her to think positively and nothing bad will happen. So, that was exactly what she had to do!

“Anyway, I just meant, after seeing those mooncalves dance if you were feeling lightheaded like me from it?” Reggie explained, though she was feeling much better. “I don’t actually think it was the mooncalves that made me feel like that though. I hate the dark. Absolutely hate it!” Reggie shuddered. Some people were afraid of bugs or spiders. Reggie didn’t mind those things. Some people were afraid of heights or water. Not Reggie. No, it was the blackness of the night that terrified her. The shadows that hit her peripheral but were gone the moment she looked. Yes, that was what scared her the most.

Reggie looked down at her small crystal ball. The torches from the professor gave the area enough light so that the ball only glimmered with light. “I feel better now though, so I think it was all just my nerves.” Reggie smiled at the girl. “I’m Reggie. Interesting class so far, right?”

6 Reggie Is it a bad thing? 187 Reggie 0 5

Josephine
March 02, 2011 11:29 AM

Josephine
Peripheral
Written by:

Depends on the context by Josephine
It hadn't been what the other girl had meant, but then Josephine hadn't thought as much. She laughed a little, so it had been a good ice breaker. She said that her Dad often had indigestion, and started suggesting remedies. "Thanks," Josephine replied with a smile of her own, "but I should just learn to eat more slowly."

The other girl nevertheless reminaed jittery, and she explained that watching the moonclaves had made her feel light-headed. Josephine felt fine herself, and wondered whether this was a normal side effect, or if her classmate was ill. "Did you have somehting to eat before class?" she checked, "because when I forget to eat it makes me feel light-headed. You're not going to faint, are you?" In the next breath, the reason for the light-headedness was explained as hating the dark. Josephine paused to look round them. She supposed it was quite dark. She thought she still glowed a little with the sheer paleness of her skin (minus the freckles, of course) but lots of other people were looking distinctly shady. "I think it's sort of mysctical," she said, which had partly been influenced by the mooncalves, partly by the crystal that her classmate had with her, and partly just to make the other girl feel better.

"I'm Josephine," she returned the introduction, holding back the comment she'd thought of about Reggie being a boy's name. "What's Reggie short for?" she said instead. "And yes, I suppose it's interesting," she said about the class. "Not something I've ever seen before." She glanced at reggie, as if assessing her. "You sure you're feeling okay?" she wanted to double check. "I'd really rather you didn't faint on me."

0 Josephine Depends on the context 0 Josephine 0 5

Russell
March 02, 2011 1:50 PM

Russell
Alumnus
House: Aladren
Written by: Grayson Wright

Age in Post: 11

Probably a good idea. by Russell
Russell was more surprised to be addressed than he thought he should have been, considering he was talking to the creatures in Care of Magical Creatures. He talked to the cat at home, sometimes, too, but there was a difference between pets and things they learned about in class, except maybe the ones sometimes used for pets and that was a definite maybe. The surprising part should have been that Derry was just asking the same question he’d been thinking about instead of calling him a weirdo.

Of course, Derry being the guy who walked around dressed like a colonial Muggle did cut down on his high ground if he was un-Teppenpaw enough to call other people weird, so maybe it wasn’t so surprising. Either way, though, Russell was okay with that.

“I have no idea,” he admitted. He wasn’t too sure if intellectual honesty was authentically Aladren or if he was supposed to try to sound like he knew everything all the time, the way the others seemed to, but he’d always been taught to just say so when he didn’t know things because that was how one learned. It sometimes caused him to be subjected to the Socratic Method, which he found frustrating and unhelpful enough that he felt a grudge against all of Ancient Athens just because it had produced Socrates, but it was habit anyway. “I was just wondering about that. If they’re smart enough to learn to understand people, and if living at a school has anything to do with whether or not they do, like if they hear us talking out here during the day, or…”

He shrugged. “I’m pretty sure someone’s researched it before, if we spent long enough in the library. But it’s cool to think about.” A bad habit of his, he’d noticed, was liking to ponder over things without actually looking up the answers to whatever it was he was thinking about. It was just fun to wonder, sometimes, and try to reason out the answer, and then feel like he’d accomplished something if he found one that seemed like it made sense. Learning, for him, was either something he did in class or a more unfocused activity, reading something because it sounded interesting and then picking up information from that, though he was trying to do better and research things more. It felt more necessary now, all things considered. “I think, anyway,” he added.

16 Russell Probably a good idea. 183 Russell 0 5

Ryan
March 03, 2011 1:34 AM

Ryan
Alumnus
House: Crotalus
Written by: Allegra Brockert

Age in Post: 12
Birthday: January 10

Well, both come out during a full moon by Ryan
For a brief moment when another student approached the same mooncalf as Ryan, the Crotalus was nervous. He had already made a move to pet the odd creature and he was afraid he had done something wrong. Not by the actual petting the mooncalf as they had been instructed to do so if they wanted. No, Ryan was merely worried that the other student, James, he thought, would be mad that Ryan had gone ahead of him. He probably should have waited until everyone else had their fill of petting the mooncalves. That was Ryan's proper place, wasn't it?

Truthfully, the second year wasn't even exactly sure what his proper place even was. On the one hand, Ryan was pureblood from an important family and none of the other guys in class were. He knew he was supposed to be proper around and chivalrous towards the pureblood girls in his class, but generally, purebloods considered themselves better than others. Certainly his sister had been raised that way.

On the other hand, Ryan had not. He had grown up thinking he was dirt. That was how his mother had always treated him. His self-esteem was pretty much non-existant and the Crotalus felt like pretty much everyone was above him. Plus, he wanted to make others happy and have them like him, so the second year tried to be very accomodating and let others go first unless they didn't want to.

Besides, Ryan had always been a bit intimidated by the Aladren. James wasn't nearly as scary as his housemate, Nova, but nobody really was. Except his mom and sister of course. And possibly Tawny. Still, James usually seemed grumpy and stand-offish. Like he didn't really like his classmates very much. It made Ryan uneasy as he needed to be liked.

Still, James was being perfectly friendly now, to Ryan no less. Maybe his initial impression of his classmate had been wrong and James didn't hate him or anything. Not that Ryan had ever given him a reason to, but then he'd never given his mother one that he knew of and she hated Ryan.

The Crotalus said "Thank you." to the other second year and bent over to pet the mooncalf. Ryan rather liked animals in general. He didn't even hate cats and would have probably rather liked the creatures if they didn't make him have severe allergic reactions. After the one invaded his grandparents' property last summer, Ryan's throat had started swelling and he broke out in hives. It was the most unpleasant experience he'd ever had without his mother or sister being present.

He finished so James could have a turn. Ryan didn't want to make the other boy wait too long, because he really didn't want James to get mad at him. The Crotalus couldn't stand confrontation. It usually made Ryan feel sick. "You're James right?" Ryan asked. He kind of hoped they could maybe be friends, or at least not enemies, since James was being rather pleasant to him.

11 Ryan Well, both come out during a full moon 176 Ryan 0 5

James
March 03, 2011 11:07 AM

James
Peripheral
Written by:

I know which I'd rather run into by James
Once the other boy had finished petting the mooncalf, James took his turn. he didn't have to wait long, so was still in reasonably good spirits as he touched the leathery exterior of these odd creatures. It didn't shy away from his touch, which was nice. James was used to animals back home, they had lots of chickens and several cats, the biggest of which he suspected was half-kneazle as it had turned biting and clawing into a profession. Mostly, though, the cats just lay around and did nothing, and the chickens ran around pointlessly like brainless morons.

"You're James, right?" The voice of the other boy made james look up. he was about done with petting the mooncalf so he stood up properly and considered his yearmate.

"Yes, I'm James," he replied. "What's your name?" When the boy had told him, James said, "I don't remember names very well, so I might ask you again tomorrow." Possibly at every further encounter they had for the next three years, too. Oddly enough, james was good at remembering non-human names, but then animals were easier. For example, their ginger cat was called Ginger, and their first tom cat was called Tom. The fluffy one was called Fluffy. The chickens were harder to place, because several of them looked fairly similar, but James didn't ever need to refer to them by name, anyway. The big white one was called Snowy, and the smallest one was called Runt. People were different, because they could have any name, and if James didn't see them to talk to often enough then his brain would decide that the information wasn't important enough to be properly stored, and would discard it so he'd have to start all over again. He only knew the names of his roomates because he saw them every day.

0 James I know which I'd rather run into 0 James 0 5

Derry Four
March 03, 2011 11:26 AM

Derry Four
Alumnus
House: Teppenpaw
Written by: Nathan

Age in Post: 11

We always thought so by Derry Four
It never would have occurred to Derry that being on a school's grounds might affect whether or not a creature would learn more than it would elsewhere, but the more he thought on it, the more that made sense. He watched the mooncalves graze peacefully in the moonlight, trying to tell if they were cleverly eavesdropping on them, or just munching away. His observation was inconclusive.

As soon as the words 'research' and 'library' came up though, Derry lost interest, and he eyed Russell warily, half expecting the Aladren to drag him bodily to to library to do so. Fortunately, though, the other first year seemed to dismiss the idea almost immediately, and Derry let out breath of relief.

"Yeah," he agreed, "As long as I don't have to read any books about it, it's fun to think about." Thad would probably have a field day with the idea, and he'd ask everybody in the vicinity endless questions until - Derry froze and then blinked once. "I suppose we could ask them," he said slowly, trying to work out any faults in the plan. "I mean, it'll tell us definitely if they can, and if they don't answer, we're not any worse off than we were."

Derry crouched down as low as he could, almost lying down on the ground to get on eye level with the nearest of the little critters. "Hey, do you understand us? Do you have a name?"

1 Derry Four We always thought so 189 Derry Four 0 5

Hope
March 04, 2011 4:43 AM

Hope
Alumnus
House: Teppenpaw
Written by: Allegra Brockert

Age in Post: 11

Or moonglasses. by Hope
Hope sat under the tree, lost in thought. She suddenly kind of didn't really want to be at Sonora anymore. She wanted to go home. Hope couldn't help anyone out here. The Teppenpaw was one of the youngest students in school and sometimes, even knowing all that she did about Sonora, still didn't really know how to help people who didn't know quite so much. In Transfiguration, Hope hadn't known really how to help Madeline with exactly what they were expected to do. (Of course, Nina had said that Professor Crosby's actions didn't really make a lot of sense and displeased a lot of students but she also seemed to personally think this was a lot of fun.)

The first year felt useless. She hadn't been able to help her roommate and now she couldn't do anything to help Harmony (or Marshall either). Last summer, Hope had been like a nurse for her cousin's fiance. Now she was at Sonora and couldn't help the older girl out anymore. She would write her a letter to cheer her up though. Hope just hoped that would be enough.

Besides, if she was at home rather than Sonora, she would always be useless. Hope needed to learn how to use her magic correctly, like all magical people did. She would hate to not know how. The Teppenpaw had come from a long line of magical people and she would never be able to figure out how to live without it. Hope didn't think it was right to look down on muggles, but magic was what she'd been raised with.

Truthfully, Hope believed that magical people should try to help muggles. Make their lives easier. Wizards sometimes had cures for tdiseases that worked better than what muggles had from what Hope had always been taught. Didn't they have the responsibility to help people who were suffering? Unfortunately, some wizards didn't see it that way.

She looked up at the girl who had approached her and asked if she was okay. "I'm fine, really." Hope said. "Just a bit worried about some stuff at home." She went on, looking at the girl. She had asked if Hope was okay and maybe that meant she cared. The Teppenpaw liked to believe that most people cared about others. Maybe she could talk to this other girl about what was bothering her. Hope would feel better and they could become friends.

The first year was not worried in the least about scaring her classmate away. Hope reasoned that if the girl didn't care and didn't want to hear it, she wouldn't have asked. If the Teppenpaw asked someone what was wrong, she certainly wouldn't have minded them actually telling her. "It's my cousin's fiance. She lives with my family and me and we became close last summer. Anyway, she's in the hospital again because she's really sick. She has a lot of health problems and I'm worried about her. And my cousin too." Hope explained. She really did not know what would happen to Marshall if something happened to Harmony.

11 Hope Or moonglasses. 186 Hope 0 5

Arnold
March 04, 2011 8:56 PM

Arnold
Alumnus
House: Aladren
Written by:

Age in Post: 11

I'm pleased that you're pleased by Arnold
Arnold was slightly surprised that Fae would be so blunt about her purpose in attending Sonora. Everyone came so they could meet potential spouses – or, as Grandmother put it, indulge this fad for knowing one’s spouse before marriage, and giving children input in the most important decision of their lives; Arnold thought she might be against it – and make friends who would be useful to them in later life, but…well, he thought they usually weren’t that blunt about it.

“You’ve succeeded,” he assured her. “My great-great-grandfather says it’s a good school,” he said of Sonora. “Arthur – my brother, he’s over there – and I are the first South Carolina Careys to come here, though.”

Grandmother had been against that, too. Grandmother thought Sonora was part of the reason the Georgia branch had seen such ‘troubles’ with its girls, and since he and Arthur and Anthony all had ‘weak blood’ from ‘that hoyden’ anyway….She had made him promise he would be good, that he would not be like his father and would come back to them and be worthy of the family. She had made sure he understood that Father was only allowed to continue to be her son because he was an Anthony; if he had been the second son instead of Uncle Donald, he would have been disowned when he married Mother, as Arnold – and, for good measure, maybe Arthur, too, just for being Arnold’s twin – would be if he did something wrong.

He wouldn’t, though. He was just as good as Arthur and Anthony, and he would not do something wrong and have to go away just to spare the family the shame of being related to him. Grandmother said some people were sent away while they were still in school, if they did something very bad, and what would he do then? Either he and Arthur would both be thrown out of the house with nowhere to go, or, if Father had enough power to keep them from rejecting Arthur, too, he would both have to find some way to get by on his own in summers and spend the rest of his school time living in the same room as his brother while being forbidden to speak to him, which was about the only thing worse than the idea of having his birthday by himself for years and years until he was as old as the Fourth and finally died for real. Anthony, along with almost all their cousins, had his birthday by himself, and one reason Arnold was always nice to him then was because it looked so lonely.

Such thoughts were put aside, though, by Fae’s question. Protecting ladies – that was being good. That was what he was supposed to do. “Absolutely,” he replied firmly.

Though now worried that he’d offended her, Arnold laughed politely at the joke about how she hoped she didn’t act like her siblings’ pet. “I’m sure you don’t,” he said. “Anthony isn’t so bad, really…Just the heir, instead of us, so everyone pays attention to him.” He realized that might not be an entirely proper thing to say. “Er – what is your brother studying? Father says Arthur and I will probably have to go to university, but we don’t know what we’ll study exactly.”

0 Arnold I'm pleased that you're pleased 181 Arnold 0 5

Sara Raines, Pecari
March 05, 2011 10:38 PM

Sara Raines, Pecari
Peripheral
Written by:

...Strange things may happen by Sara Raines, Pecari
Sara was familiar with the concept of being out of the house after dark. Many parties took place at night – even some she had attended, though her chaperone, be it her parents or Aunt Margaret, always insisted they leave before midnight when that was the case – and she’d read enough novels, in secret, to have the idea that it was not too uncommon for schemers or courting couples to go walking in the estate garden during a ball. It didn’t seem terribly practical, all things considered, but the images were strong anyway.

She had not, however, ever been one of those schemers, much less part of a courting couple. Even when she attended those parties after dark, she stayed inside all the time, under the watchful eyes of at least one adult she was close to. So when she realized that the time of the year was such that it was getting quite dark by the time she was expected to report to the Labyrinth Gardens at seven-thirty for a special Care of Magical Creatures class, she wasn’t sure if she should be secretly thrilled at the chance to do something forbidden or a little frightened, and the result, as she approached Professor Cohen and the rest of the class, was that she felt a little bit of both.

She also, as she watched many of the first year Teppenpaws arrive all together, felt a little lonely. She got on well with almost everyone in her year, but she didn’t feel close to any of them. Not like that group seemed to, anyway.

That, though, faded into the background once the lesson began. Her parents were not overly progressive, they had a son because their first child had been a daughter and they’d wanted a proper heir (and a competitor against Catherine and Isabel for the family wealth, but that was neither here nor there, since the stratagem hadn’t worked), but they did acknowledge that she was intelligent, and encourage her to be her best. She suspected it helped that her father was apparently inclined toward women who were as intelligent as they were lovely, and thought that Mother’s education was part of what made her such a lady, since they had been a love-match, but in any case, she was expected to pay attention in her classes and learn all she could. That included this class.

She clutched her hands together as the mooncalves danced, again not sure what the exact proper reaction was but feeling…disturbed, somehow, agitated, like she wanted to get away. When it was over, she rubbed her arms, then smiled automatically when she saw someone looking at her. “Good evening,” she said.

0 Sara Raines, Pecari ...Strange things may happen 0 Sara Raines, Pecari 0 5

Reggie
March 07, 2011 9:32 PM

Reggie
Alumnus
House: Teppenpaw
Written by: Amelle Nicchi

Age in Post: 11

Blown = good time. by Reggie
The girl declined Reggie’s suggestions in regards to helping her with her indigestion. Reggie shrugged. It could have just been eating way too quickly, but if the girl did get indigestion again because her body just didn’t like what she put into it, than at least Reggie had done her due diligence by advising her on a list of remedies. After all, her father did make potions for a hospital. Reggie should know of at least some things.

“Just the normal stuff.” Reggie said with a shrug. She didn’t have indigestion if that was what the girl was getting at. Reggie loved food, but she didn’t think she wolfed it down enough to make herself sick. Unless it was candy. She used to eat so much of it on Halloween that she would get stomach aches. “No, not faint.” She said, shaking her head. She couldn’t explain the feeling she had. She got them often when she was scared. Her dad told her that her body was in fight or flight mode during those times and her senses were heightened, which was why she was so lightheaded. She just had hoped that it would go away once the lesson started, but instead it became worse when the mooncalves danced. She knew it was just the way they had moved that had creeped her even more out than she had been and that was what was making her feel off.

She knew that some people enjoyed the dark. Her father did. When they went camping, her dad always tried to get her to stay out at the camp fire, but Reggie just couldn’t handle it. Still, if this girl enjoyed the night, Reggie wasn’t going to persuade her to feel otherwise. It wasn’t right to ruin it for someone else. “I suppose it could be considered mystical.” Reggie commented, looking around but then quickly back to her crystal.

“Regina. My Grandma wanted to call me Gina, but Dad said when I was little I refused to answer to it, so they started calling me Reg, which became Reggie.” She shrugged. Nothing special, but she preferred Reggie over Gina even now. She laughed when Josephine asked again if she was okay. “I’m fine, really. I feel better now. When my nerves play up, I get light headed. You’d think I’d be used to it. Anyway, do you prefer to be called Josephine or do you have a nickname?” Reggie preferred nicknames to proper names and knew that even if Josephine preferred her full name, Reggie was bound to start calling her something different.

6 Reggie Blown = good time. 187 Reggie 0 5

Sophie
March 11, 2011 1:19 PM

Sophie
Former Staff
House: Pecari
Subject: Potions
Written by: Casey

Age in Post: 12
Birthday: December 25th

They make those? by Sophie
“I’m fine, really. Just worried about some stuff at home.” Well, that wasn’t good. The younger girl seemed really alone, and if she was alone with her worries, she might have freaked out or something. Sophie decided that wouldn’t do at all and plopped down on the ground beside her, urging her for more details…which came a moment later.

As soon as she knew why the girl was so worried, Sophie felt sympathy. Her own cousins weren’t engaged, but if Liz--her only cousin theoretically old enough to be engaged--had a sick fiancé, she would have been worried too. “Oh,” was what the blonde brilliantly uttered. What else could she say?

Her twelve-year-old mind puzzled quickly as to what to say. I’m sorry would not change the situation, nor probably even make her feel better. Sophie personally disliked when people apologized for bad things in someone else’s life; unless they had caused it, they had no right to apologize.

The only way her brain could imagine to make the younger girl feel better was point out something worse in Sophie’s own life. Maybe realizing someone else’s bad stuff would make her problem seem not so bad. So, without meaning to, the Pecari replied, “I have a dead mother.”

…Why did I just say that?! “Um,” she said out-loud almost instantly thereafter, “so, like, there are worse things? Your cousin’s fiancé could recover, right? You said she’s always has a lot of health problems, so maybe this is just one of them, and it’ll move on eventually?” The English-accented girl felt completely idiotic, but at the same time, she was hoping she was helping.

“Anyway, I’m sure she’ll be okay,” she smiled. “By the way, I’m Sophie. What’s your name?” The second year didn’t really have a lot of friends at Sonora, but that had never gotten her down, nor had she ever cared to change that. Still, maybe this girl could be her friend. Right now, she only really had Ryan and Neal. Maybe this younger girl could be the female friend that Sophie was lacking.

12 Sophie They make those? 34 Sophie 0 5

Ryan
March 13, 2011 5:05 AM

Ryan
Alumnus
House: Crotalus
Written by: Allegra Brockert

Age in Post: 12
Birthday: January 10

Yeah, me too. by Ryan
"I'm Ryan." He offered in response,not giving his last name and family branch. The Crotalus thought the other boy's last name was Owen which as far as Ryan could tell, was not one of the Names To Know, even though he was pretty sure James was also a pureblood. This put Ryan slightly at ease. He had to admit that he was less comfortable with the formal greetings of pureblood society.

It wasn't as if the Crotalus boy had ever attended anything but family only parties. His mother didn't want him to embarass her, of course-and Ryan was only too happy not to attend parties with her, as she had a tendency to be mean to him even then and he typically didn't want others to see that-and his grandparents thought he was too young, even though Ryan would be thirteen shortly after midterm. He was still regarded by his grandmother as one of "the children".

Therefore, he didn't actually practice standard pureblood greetings-though Carrie naturally had been perfectly schooled in them, while Ryan was only given enough lessons because his grandparents were coerced to by the Brockert family patriarch, who liked to keep an eye on the descendants of his female relatives as well, so as not to embarass himself-and made mistakes, like using people's first names instead of calling them by formal titles. Ryan didn't generally like being that formal anyway and preferred to use first names, but it would never do to upset anyone, because they would hate him and his mom would punish him if he offended a proper pureblood, especially a pureblood lady, and Ryan couldn't have either thing.

Fortunately, James didn't correct him, which meant Ryan had both gotten his name right-which the Aladren boy confirmed-and that Ryan had not screwed up by not calling him Mr. Owen. His mother might not care that Ryan didn't, because James wasn't from an important family, but if James had been annoyed by Ryan's failure to do so, Ryan would have been embarassed and felt terrible. He wanted others to like him so bad .

The thing was, the Crotalus really tried to keep up on the important families so he would know who to greet properly and whom he could be more himself with. Ryan couldn't go around calling everyone Mr and Miss Last Name, as was proper, because the non-purebloods would think he was weird then and the second year really had an issue with being disliked. Therefore he had taken it upon himself to know everyone's name, so he wouldn't anger his mother, the family patriarch-who might want to officially disown Ryan, if he messed up too badly-or his classmates. He didn't care too much about the pureblood thing himself, he just didn't want anyone mad at him.

Ryan nodded when James said that he was bad with names. "That's okay." It must be nice not to have to worry about such things, but Ryan did. He knew now that if James forgot his name it wouldn't be personal. Unfortunately, the Crotalus didn't know that others wouldn't take it personal if someone forgot theirs, and that was another reason to remember everyone's name. Ryan didn't want to take a chance on offending anyone.

He looked down at the mooncalves. "They're kind of neat, aren't they?" Ryan asked, not really knowing what else to say. He hadn't had that much practice making small talk with people that he barely knew. Besides, he wasn't really sure what level of formality James was accustomed to.

11 Ryan Yeah, me too. 176 Ryan 0 5

Josephine
March 23, 2011 4:27 PM

Josephine
Peripheral
Written by:

Okay. But Blown Up would be bad. by Josephine
Reggie - whose real name was Regina but she hadn't like Gina when she was little - said she was feeling better now. Josephine could understand that being scared of the dark could make her feel funny when she had to stand in the dark. Josephine herself was absolutely terrified of spiders and felt like she might vomit whenever she saw one. To Reggie being out in the dark must be like holding a spider for Josephine - she shuddered involuntarily at the thought. No wonder Reggie had been feeling ill!

"I don't have a nickname," she replied to Reggie's question. "I mean, my brother calls me some horrible stuff, but nobody calls me anything I particularly like." She knew she had quite a long name, by standards of her culture, but she wasn't fussed about having it shortened to suit other people. Admittedly it took her a long time to write her name, but she was quite fond of it these days. She'd hated it when she was younger and it had been a mouthful to learn to write and to say when people asked her name, but now she was older it had grown on her. "I don't mind people shortening it," she told Reggie, because she didn't really mind, so long as the name wasn't unpleasant, "but I like the full version so I don't encourage it." She knew that once she started calling herself something else that people would copy, and then Josephine wouldn't be her name anymore - it would just be the name her parents used when she'd gotten into trouble, and she liked it too much for that.

"Do you mind me asking what that is?" Josephine said, her curiosity finally getting the better of her as she pointed to the unidentified object she's seen Reggie holding. It looked like a crystal, but she couldn't see why her classmate would be carrying it round with her, particularly out to class in the dark where she might lose it.

0 Josephine Okay. But Blown Up would be bad. 0 Josephine 0 5

James
March 23, 2011 5:12 PM

James
Peripheral
Written by:

So... by James
"They're kind of neat, aren't they?" Ryan said about the mooncalves. James frowned. While he agreed with the sentiment the statement offered, he detested sub-language including colloquialisms, slang, and buzz words, and 'neat' should only be used to refer to something that was tidy (like a neat bedroom) or that was large (like a neat pay packet) in his humble opinion.

"Yes, they're interesting and unusual," he replied, his tone neutral because he did sort of like watching the mooncalves and Ryan hadn't really done anything especially awful - everyone slipped up with their words from time to time. "You can't really call them attractive, but there is something oddly alluring about them," he said, and this time he was just showing off. He knew he had a much better vocabularly than most people his age but then he read practically every day, and reading was an excellent way to improve ones use of the vernacular.

The mooncalves were neither tidy nor large, but James understood Ryan's use of the word neat and he thought it was approrpiate if one was prone to using that sort of language. He considered that a great amount of the mooncalves' charm was that they danced in unison, and only appeared in moonlight. He thought that if they were just the funny-looking mal-formed creatures without these idiosyncrasies they would not be anywhere near so interesting. "Do you think their dance would be equally as haunting in the midday sun?" he pondered outloud, "or would that just be weird?"

0 James So... 0 James 0 5