Taking the initiative on Quidditch Pitch

Coach Amelia Pierce

August 26, 2012 10:24 PM

Flying Lessons by Coach Amelia Pierce

Coach Amelia Pierce had given basically the same first lesson for the eight years she had been employed as Sonora's Quidditch Coach. There had been a few students - Clara, most recently - who had never fully (or partially) mastered broom riding but, for the most part, the class was considered one of the easier ones taught at the school. Second years who had gotten less than an O were permitted to take it again to improve their performance, but most didn't need to. In a handful of cases, some students who had earned Os took the course again anyway, just for the extra flying time. She had no age limit for how long a student could retake their flying lessons, but she had yet to have anyone older than third year join the first years. It was, after all, a beginner class.

She saw little need to change the curriculum; flying basics were fairly,well, basic and there was not a lot of variation possible. She also saw no reason to subject students who already knew how to fly to the tedium of those basics. So today's class started very much the same as every first flying lesson had for the last eight years.

"Hello, and welcome to flying lessons. I am Coach Pierce. Flying lessons are required for all first year students, so everyone will be participating. If you already know how to fly, you do not have go through the basics with the beginners, but you do need to arrive promptly and spend the period on a broom. Every class will begin with a roll call, and then the experienced players may break off for pick-up games. We have Quidditch balls and various other equipment for your use." Muggleborn students would recognize several varieties of other sports balls. She had a few Quods in her shed that were available upon request outside of classtime, but the explosive nature of Quodpot was not conducive for the lessons going on with the less experienced fliers. "As long as you are not disruptive to the beginner class, you play whatever you like in the air."

"So, I will take the roll now, then we can split into those two groups. "Andrews, McKinley," she began. When she reached Pierce, Annabelle, she paused briefly to blink when both twins answered, then shook her head, skipped Pierce, Annette, and moved on, deciding the girls were going to draw enough attention without worrying how much the other students might wonder at their relation to the school's coach and Deputy Headmistress.

"We have brooms, here," she indicated the collection of brooms she had arranged before class began. "If you already know how to use one, go ahead and take one. If I have to interrupt my lesson for any reason, the responsible parties will serve detention and spend the rest of the month down here hovering. So nothing dangerous or disruptive. Otherwise, go have fun. Everyone else, line up."

Once the experience fliers had launched and moved away, she turned her attention to the remaining group. They were mostly female, and with the names she had listed off earlier, she was going to cater her speech more to the pureblood community than to the new muggleborns. She did not want - and more importantly, the Board of Governors did not want - a repeat of the Carrie O'Malley Debacle of the previous year. "I do not expect to make Quidditch players out of most of you. As I said, this is a required course. You need to complete it to graduate. With any luck, you will leave it knowing how to use a broom to transport yourself. If anyone does want Quidditch training, please let me know, and I will set you on a different training regimen." As she spoke, she handed out brooms, one to each student.

"We begin simply. Place the broom on the ground beside you. If you are right-handed, put it to your right. If you are left-handed, put it to your left. Hold your hand over the broom and command it, Up! Be firm and confident or it won't work. If any of you have dogs or elves, use the same tone of voice as you would use with them."

She held her hand out over her own broom and demonstrated, "Up!" The broom leapt easily into her hand. "It may take a few tries so do not get discouraged. Keep trying. Once you have your broom in the air, please try a low hover. Either put one leg over to straddle the broom, or sit side-saddle. Please let me know if you plan to side saddle your broom. I'll have to adjust the cushion charm."

"Please begin."

OOC: Welcome to Sonora and to Flying lessons. You earn house points for your character by attending classes such as this one. The better your posts are (in both quality and quantity), the more points you will earn. Please be wary of writing for other characters (god-modding) without permission. For example, if you toss another player a ball, it is up to them to decide if they caught it or not, though you can qualify that it was a good throw or entirely off-mark so they know how difficult it should be. That said, you do have my permission to have Amelia change your charm to side-saddle if you raise your hand and ask her for it. Now go forth and write long detailed creative posts and have fun with it!

Subthreads:

It's a good job you're dead already... by Effie Arbon with Annabelle Pierce

Taking the initiative by Alan Raines, Teppenpaw with Anthony Carey VIII, Jay Carey, Rupert Princeton, Pecari, Alan

Ready Since the Day I was Born by Eponine Taylor with Coach Pierce

The first step towards greatness by Enion Whitebriar - Teppenpaw with Henry Carey, Crotalus, Annette Pierce, Enion

Being different. by Honey Baird with Alexandra D'Alesandro, Honey

Trying to fit in by Wendy Canterbury - Pecari with Anonymous, Clarissa Clark, Wendy

If this is soo easy why can't I do it? by Clara Abernathy, Pecari with Coach Pierce, Abigail Thornton, Crotalus

Too bad this can't be my favorite class by Carter Browning, Teppenpaw with McKinley Andrews

Another activity. Meh. by Amity Brockert, Aladren with Isabel Raines, Crotalus, Effie Arbon, Annabelle Pierce

1 Coach Amelia Pierce Flying Lessons 20 Coach Amelia Pierce 1 5

Effie Arbon

August 27, 2012 5:40 AM

It's a good job you're dead already... by Effie Arbon

Flying lessons. Flying lessons with that woman. It was as if it had been specifically designed to torment her. Effie arrived on the pitch, broom in hand. It had been debated long and hard whether it would cause more raised eyebrows to allow her her own broom or to have her use one of the school ones, which people might incorrectly infer as poverty in the Arbon family. In the end, the fact that the school property was inevitably going to be riddled with Muggle germs won out, and what was very clearly not a racing broom had been purchased. It was a fine make but one with a reputation for being a reliable transportation broom. Absolutely nothing about it so much as whispered the Q word, and it was going to be left at home once the flying lessons had been completed.

Effie lined up with the other first years, adopting the technique she had used during the welcoming speech in Crotalus. She fixed her eyes just above the head of Amelia Pierce (deceased) and pretended that she simply wasn't there. This was going to cause her some serious complications if her psyche ever decided to ask what, if not Amelia Pierce (deceased), accounted for the disembodied voice whose instructions she was following, but she was already becoming very adept at not giving that question time to form.

Her eyes narrowed slightly – it would be incorrect to say that she narrowed her eyes at the coach, as she wasn't looking at her, but the empty space above her head certainly received a cold stare – when they were told to split into two groups. Those who wanted to play Quidditch and those who had never seen a broom before. There was a profound difference between flying and Quidditch, and it was not at all inappropriate for a young lady to have learnt how to ride. It was part of wizarding heritage, and the Arbons would be damned if they were going to let a few freely sexual, ball thwacking idiots destroy that. Effie decided that the group on the ground (which, if it would only be referred to as 'non-Quidditch' not 'non-flyer' would be perfectly acceptable) was the lesser of two evils. There seemed to be a lot of having to decide which was the lesser of two evils at this school.

Whilst the others in the group scrambled for brooms, she firmly commanded hers into a hover and took her seat, her broom having been fitted with a side-saddle cushioning charm before it was given to her. She glanced around, wondering whether there was anyone of a similar nature in her group with whom she could go for a genteel fly. A few laps of the pitch whilst making pleasant conversation could mean that the lesson wasn't entirely a waste of time. The coach had said they may do as they wished so long as it involved staying on their brooms, although the hypocrite or short-sighted idiot – she couldn't quite decide which – had immediately contradicted this by presuming sport to be the only available activity. There were a number of young ladies in her year though, so she held out hopes of finding someone of a similar mind.

13 Effie Arbon It's a good job you're dead already... 238 Effie Arbon 0 5

Annabelle Pierce

August 27, 2012 3:07 PM

That is hardly a nice thing to say about our dead cousin by Annabelle Pierce

Having neatly avoided the difficulties of having a dead relative as their Head of House by getting sorted into Pecari instead - in truth, Crotalus had never been a danger for them and they both knew it - Annabelle and Annette only really needed to worry about Amelia Pierce in Flying Lessons. That, however, wasn't even close to their biggest concern about the class.

The greater difficulty was in how they would portray themselves. This was the greatest point of contention the two girls had ever argued about. Annabelle had wanted to maintain propriety for at least the first few lessons, until the Quidditch fallout made the pretense pointless. Annette wanted to start the "rift" right away. Flying Lessons, after all, would be their first opportunity to compare their skill to that of other first years.

The debate had gone on for several nights leading up to their arrival in Sonora, until finally Annabelle had ceded her position and the argument then shifted focus to who would play which part on the first day. They eventually compromised that Annette would get to do the real flying first, but Annabelle would represent them for try-outs.

For the first day of lessons, they did something they never had before. They dressed completely alike, including colors, so nobody could tell them apart even by superficial means. They stood together on the pitch, but feigned an unspoken anger between them, neither meeting the other's eye and keeping their backs partially turned to each other, in the classic "I'm not talking to you" pose.

However, when Annabelle's name came up in the roll, they borh raised their hands and called out, "Present!" Annabelle was careful to address her answer to the air a few feet to the Coach's left.

It was improper to directly address the dead.

When experienced fliers were invited to head up into the skies, Annabelle frowned severely at her sister. "You mustn't," she insisted, loud enough to draw notice, which was the whole point of one of them staying with the beginners. "It's wrong."

Annette ignored her and flew away, which hurt more than Belle was really expecting it to, since this had been their plan for years. "Ann, get down here!" she called after her sister but she didn't seem to hear.

Thwarted, Belle turned back to the lesson, in as much as one could without acknowledging the instructor.

She held a hand out over the broom and said, "Up!" Genuinely surprised when it didn't respond, she frowned and tried again to no effect. The third try did not work any better and she turned in frustration to a girl hovering side saddle nearby. "The dead one gave me a broken broom," she declared, annoyed and appalled that she had been given such an inferior broom that it wouldn't even fly to her hand. "She's the one making such a stink that we have to do this."

1 Annabelle Pierce That is hardly a nice thing to say about our dead cousin 246 Annabelle Pierce 0 5

Alan Raines, Teppenpaw

August 27, 2012 3:35 PM

Taking the initiative by Alan Raines, Teppenpaw

Perfectly shined black shoes, neatly pressed gray trousers, a long, light blue and grey tie – which, according to the charmed mirror he had at home and which had felt qualified to comment on all his school clothes while he packed, brought out the contrast between his bright blue-grey eyes and his dark hair – with a crisp white shirt whose collar had points which could cut metal, and his immaculate, tailored school robes were not, Alan thought, quite the right clothes to wear to an athletic class, but he’d had a stroke of bad luck he had never thought about before coming to school but now suspected would repeat itself many times over his first two years on his way outside. He had run into his sister just as she stepped off the bottom stair from the second floor, and she had taken one look at what he had been planning to wear and immediately ‘suggested’ that he go change. Alan had tried to point out he was going to a flying class, but Sara had continued to point out, without ever once actually ordering him to do anything, how she thought he should change, and the best he could do now was take the tie off before he entered the stadium containing the Quidditch Pitch, since that was only slightly less impractical for someone planning to get on a broom than a dress would have been. How were the girls in the class going to manage, anyway?

He finished stuffing the tie into his pocket and joined the rest of the class just as the coach began to talk, which made him wince a little – ‘punctuality’ was one of his parents’ favorite words, and while he’d met the letter of its definition, he knew he’d just violated the spirit of it anyway. When she called for “Raines, Alan,” he raised his hand and said that he was present, but otherwise stayed quiet, irritated with Sara for getting in his way and keeping him from the important time before class, when he could meet other people on top of being sure that he was not going to be late.

Merlin, he was glad he was not a girl, or for that matter a Pecari. If he had been both, he was sure he would have never had any privacy at all, and he wasn’t sure yet whether he or Isabel was going to have it worse until Sara graduated. He loved his sister, of course – it was unnatural not to love his sister – but he had liked her much better before he got his Sonora letter. It had been strange, spending so much time around Sara after he and Iz knew for sure that they were going to school with her anyway, and then they had actually arrived here and she’d become an authority figure. He didn’t know how to handle it.

When he heard that first years who already knew how to fly could break away and play games, Alan decided to go with that group. He didn’t really like Quidditch, but he knew most of the other pureblood boys would, and those were the people he needed to get to know. Isabel gave him a slightly betrayed look as he picked up the broom her parents had given him as a going-away present and walked away, but he ignored that, deciding it was payback for the first night, and that she’d be all right with the other girls, anyway. At home, they had always been thrown together because they were the youngest in their families, but now they had other people to be friends with, so he thought they ought to do that. If they were only going to be friends with each other, then they could have just stayed at home.

Being the one to start something was a thought that made him feel uncomfortable, but someone had to do it, so Alan walked out toward the collection of sports equipment the coach had provided as though he weren’t nervous at all and, ignoring the pieces he didn’t recognize or know what to do with, picked up a Quaffle. “Quidditch?” he offered to the people closest to him.

0 Alan Raines, Teppenpaw Taking the initiative 0 Alan Raines, Teppenpaw 0 5

Eponine Taylor

August 28, 2012 4:30 AM

Ready Since the Day I was Born by Eponine Taylor

All day, Eponine had been bouncing around and sporting a large smile as she waited for Flying Lessons to come around. She was more than ready to test her skills on a broomstick-- and hoped more than anything that she had some amount of skill to claim. Despite never having ridden a broomstick, Eponine had full confidence in herself and her ability to learn quickly. Plus, it was in her genes to be good at the wizarding sport! Her mother had been a quidditch star in school, before she became an auror and all of her time was eaten up. Since her muggle father had never even witnessed the sport and her mother was not available for lessons, Eponine had never had the chance to even try, but she was ready to try her hardest and practice, practice, practice.

She listened attentively to her instructor's first lesson, and furiously envied those who immediately left to play quidditch-- that meant that they were already experienced flyers. When Coach Pierce said that students could be trained specifically for quidditch, Eponine had to refrain from jumping or squealing with relief and joy. Before even moving towards the brooms, she watched as the twins seemed to have a small squabble that resulted in one of the girls going to play games while the other stayed in lessons.

Feeling completely behind the others already, Eponine quickly grabbed a broom from the pile that didn't look completely beat up, set it on the ground, held out her hand and said, "Up!" When the broom did not even twitch, Eponine let herself calm down and relax. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, getting the impatience and nerves out of her system.

"Up," Eponine commanded with authority, and waited expectantly. The broom rose to meet her hand, and the girl gripped it triumphantly. Unsure of how to get on the instrument, she watched as two other girls mounted side-saddle. She wasn't sure whether or not girls had to sit that way, or if she could try the opposite. Thinking back to moving photos of her mom playing quidditch, Eponine distinctly remembered that her mom sat straddling the broom. Feeling a little homesick but also pride for representing her family, Eponine mounted and immediately began her low hover.

Grinning wildly, the student reached up to adjust the beret on her dark hair before slowly gliding to Coach Pierce, taking care not to bump into the instructor. "Hello, Coach Pierce, my name is Eponine Taylor. I was wondering how to sign up for the special quidditch training you mentioned earlier?"

0 Eponine Taylor Ready Since the Day I was Born 0 Eponine Taylor 0 5

Effie Arbon

August 28, 2012 4:21 PM

I'm making a positive out of the tragic situation. by Effie Arbon

The Miss Pierces had not made the largest impression on Effie thus far. It was hard to ignore them, as their identicalness made them an interesting visual feature of the student body. However, she had as yet had no opportunity to interact with them. She was a little wary of the fact that they were Pecaris, by all accounts a rather boisterous house. However, Isabel's cousin was in that house, and Effie was quite sure that she was a fine young lady. Effie had been, and still was, keen to make acquaintances with Pierces, as they were one of the most respectable families around. Or, she had thought so. She now had to remind herself that she was to make acquaintances with Proper Pierces. She was still adjusting to the notion of Improper Pierces, as well as the fact that the Proper Pierces were not quite as strict with dead relatives as maybe they ought to have been.

Her anxiety about them was somewhat heightened when one, against the protests of the other, flew off to join the Quidditch playing group. That was simply not to be borne and Effie could not understand why the girl would endanger her entire future with such stupidity, as well as risk dragging her sister's name through the mud. She had resolved to keep a safe distance from both girls until the consequences of this action became clear when the remaining twin spoke to her. Although her manner was not formal the content of her comments was appropriate. Furthermore, whilst she would not have chosen to speak to her, Effie knew that she could not ignore being addressed by the girl.

“You really seem quite out of luck this morning,” Effie condoled, a little glance to the wayward sister indicating that she included it amongst this one's misfortunes, “Perhaps you can take comfort in the fact that you may not have to participate,” she assumed from the protests that this Pierce had raised that she had no burning desire to join the other one, and it would have been quite rude of Effie to suggest that she might. “I do you beg your pardon but I confess I am not yet able to distinguish you from your sister,” there was no reason, of course, why she should be able to, seeing as this had been the first time she had seen them both up close and they had, rather strangely, both answered to the same name at the start of the lesson, but it would not have been polite to be very blunt about the matter. “I am Effie Arbon,” she introduced herself. As if yesterday's challenge of curtseying whilst seated had not been difficult enough, she now had to make an approximation of the gesture whilst on a broom. She inclined her head whilst dipping the broom briefly down a few inches before returning to her previous height, “To which Miss Pierce do I have the pleasure of speaking?”

13 Effie Arbon I'm making a positive out of the tragic situation. 238 Effie Arbon 0 5

Enion Whitebriar - Teppenpaw

August 28, 2012 5:10 PM

The first step towards greatness by Enion Whitebriar - Teppenpaw

Flying lessons. Enion was caught somewhere between extreme excitement and contempt. He didn’t need lessons to fly! The tall blond had been flying for most his life, and he could even out race his brother every time. Gareth flew when Enion bugged him enough or during the games at the family reunions, but Enion knew that his older brother preferred hunting to flying. His loss, flying is the best thing ever!. Flying lessons were also mandatory for any student who wanted to play Quidditch. And Enion was going to play, he had no doubts at all about that. If Gareth could make his team the first year, then Enion would too.

The new Teppenpaw ran full speed towards the pitch, every muscle jumping with the urge to leap into the sky even though he didn’t even have his broom yet. He was so caught up with his dreams of Quidditch glory that he tumbled over his own feet when he reached the group of waiting first years. Enion yelped as he fell, the grass thankfully making his landing not too painful even if it was embarrassing. Red painted his cheeks and stained his ears brightly as he scrambled to his feet and took his place in line. Grass stains marked the knees of his robes and a few blades now decorated his blond curls but Enion didn’t notice as the instructor began speaking.

Yes! We won’t be stuck with the littles he thought gleefully, completely ignoring the fact that he was the same age as everyone else. In the Purebloods mind if you didn’t know how to fly, you were just one of the littles. Littles or girls. He wrinkled his nose. Girls weren’t supposed to fly. “Why are they teaching the girls anyway? Girls should be taught how to make tea and dance and stuff like that, not how to fly.” Enion said in a superior tone. After all, he wouldn’t want to be forced to take a sewing class, why would any proper girl want to be forced into a boy’s class like flying?

0 Enion Whitebriar - Teppenpaw The first step towards greatness 0 Enion Whitebriar - Teppenpaw 0 5

Anthony Carey VIII

August 28, 2012 7:07 PM

Better you than me by Anthony Carey VIII

In a way, Anthony was relieved that they were going to have flying lessons, but he had sworn to himself as soon as he noticed this that he would never tell anyone that. It was shameful to be relieved that one of his classes was almost certainly only going to involve things he knew he could do, after all. He was perfectly capable of learning all the new material and did not need to rely on previous knowledge hammered into him over the course of many years just to get through this one nearly ten-month period. It was just…that he felt that way anyway, quite as though he were not competent. He’d had new tutors before, of course, as he outgrew the expertise of one or added the subject area of another, but never so many at once, and in the first unfamiliar place he’d ever spent more than a few hours in. Knowing that something was even surer than everything else to go well was comforting.

Being taught by someone Grandmother had disapprovingly informed him before he came to school was a disowned lady was…less comforting. Sometimes people were disowned from his family – that happened in all families, sometimes, or so he’d been told; things just went wrong sometimes, there was no reason why in many cases – but he had never met one, since they didn’t get to come to schools and be teachers. The family was officially silent on what happened to them after they left its protection, but he had heard Aunt Gigi telling Theresa about what happened to that one girl, the one from Georgia, a few years ago….

Anthony shivered at the memory. He and Henry had both had nightmares for a few days and had then both sworn never to eavesdrop on conversations just between Theresa and Aunt Gigi ever again. It wasn’t worth it, even if something was said that Arthur would have paid them for if they hadn’t missed it because they didn’t want to risk hearing something like that again.

He answered to his name during the roll call, then paid attention to all the other names, trying to learn who was who, until two people answered to the name Annabelle Pierce at the same time. When he saw the coach seem to hesitate, too, he decided he hadn’t been hearing things and looked at the twin girls in the class with no little horror. He remembered hearing about how Pierces were going to be in his year, but while he didn’t remember a lot of the given names which had been thrown at him to memorize since people started getting in touch with contacts who could let them know who was going to which school, he thought he should remember something like twins with the exact same name. Had their parents really not bothered to give them different names, just called them both Annabelle? Identical or not, that was…that was worse than being an Anthony, probably worse than being Great-Great-Grandfather’s identical twin and named Thomas.

He paused as the implications of that one went through his head. Thomas had broken the family because of his resentment over being just the twin. Anthony decided to keep an eye on – or maybe out for – those two.

After the roll call, he gave his cousin Jay a strange look, deciding there definitely weren’t enough people here for the second years to really be in the lesson, too, as he’d initially assumed, but decided that wasn’t strange enough to make him delay in getting away from the beginners’ group. He did, after all, know how to fly well enough that he’d been allowed to play with the others at the last Reunion; the experience had only lasted about ten minutes before he was out of the air and spent the remainder of the time being glared at by Morgaine and his mother, but that was still four longer than Mal had stayed up, so Anthony hadn’t called the day a total loss.

Before he could propose the pick-up Quidditch game the coach had mentioned, another boy did so and Anthony nodded. “I’m in,” he said. “I’d rather be a Chaser, but I’ll take Keeper if no one else wants it.”

0 Anthony Carey VIII Better you than me 234 Anthony Carey VIII 0 5

Jay Carey

August 28, 2012 7:10 PM

I'm not even really supposed to be here by Jay Carey

Henry’s lips were barely moving as he, with some effort, fell into step with Jay, causing his words to come out in a mumble which was a little hard to understand even when Jay was used to him. “What are you doing here?”

“Just getting in some extra flying time,” Jay lied calmly. Lying, he had discovered, was hard to do if he had to make something up off the top of his head, but it was much easier when he planned exactly what the lie was going to be ahead of time, and figured out where all the things that would need to be explained were, and thought about it like that. Actually doing it still felt unpleasant, but it was much easier when he didn’t have to think on his feet so much, and easier still when he felt he really did have a good reason for it. “I’m hoping I can get off the reserve bench this year and actually get onto the team.”

“So obviously you decide to come play in the sandbox with a bunch of first years,” Henry said flatly.

“Obviously,” Jay said cheerfully, and quickened his step, outpacing his brother. This time, Hen didn’t try to catch up, though whether that was because he just didn’t want to or did just want to preserve a little dignity, Jay couldn’t say. Henry had never hurried very well, and he had short legs, where Jay had long ones that made it easier to walk fast.

If anyone, noticing the number of Careys on the Pitch, had decided it was a good bet to assume that at least two of them were brothers, Jay was pretty sure that most people would think that the brothers were him and Anthony instead of him and Henry. Through they had gotten them, as near as he could tell, from completely different places – Jay’s maternal grandmother and Anthony’s mother, who were not at all related – they had some of the same features: long legs, lighter brown hair, fair skin. There were enough differences that he thought most people would accept easily that they were first cousins rather than siblings, but he also thought that he and Anthony looked more like each other than they did like any of their actual brothers, or for that matter like his sisters. He and Brandon had almost the same nose, and he and Diana and Cecilia all had curly hair, but Jay still felt like the odd duck out on the rare occasion when just his immediate family took a group photograph.

He supposed that, like everything, had its purpose, as feeling like the odd duck out didn’t feel as bad as he thought it might have when he found himself doing it again here among all these first years. That, if it was the case, was very good, because he’d no more than entered the Cascade Hall on the first morning of classes before he’d received three letters, all at once, from his mother explaining how it was even more his job to look after Henry now than it would have been if Hen had been Sorted with the rest of them.

As Coach Pierce spoke, Jay listened politely, as though he had not heard almost the same lesson last year, and then went with his brother and cousin and the rest of the gaming group. A boy from Teppenpaw seemed to decide he ought to be the leader, which Jay didn’t mind, even though he knew the family would think he should encourage Anthony to be the leader instead. Another thing Jay thought he and his cousin had in common was how being heirs – to whatever extent Jay counted as an heir, anyway, as the eldest son of a second son – was something they’d just been born to, not something he thought either of them would have sought out on their own.

“I’ll take Keeper,” Jay volunteered. “You can have Chaser, Anthony.” He realized then that none of them had introduced themselves yet. “I’m Jay, by the way,” he added, rhyming without noticing it. “Jay Carey, of the South Carolina branch.” He thought that was more than formal enough for a pick-up Quidditch game, anyway.

0 Jay Carey I'm not even really supposed to be here 0 Jay Carey 0 5

Honey Baird

August 28, 2012 10:03 PM

Being different. by Honey Baird

Honey was thrilled for her first class ever at Sonora. Though, she didn’t care too much for the uniform. It was absolutely boring! At least, it was only a robe. Underneath, she could wear anything she wanted. She had opted for a purple cheetah print top tied at the waist with a simple black belt and over black leggings. Added to that, she wore matching purple cheetah print converse sneakers and black lace gloves. Her hair was pulled up into the odango hairstyle. She thought her hair looked super cute and interesting in the style. Aside from a little bit of makeup, she added a pair of large black glasses that she didn’t actually need to wear, but thought made her stand out. It was certainly better than anything Heaven would be wearing. She would most likely be in one of the outfits that their mother had picked out.

Tromping along in her converses, she joined the rest of her class on the field for flying lessons. She didn’t actually need to take flying lessons since she had already been taught. Her parents believed that it was important for a lady to learn how to fly in case of emergency. Though, they preferred the use of apparation beyond all else. However, that was not an option for them without a parent since she and her sister were underage, so they had been taught to fly – by a tutor of course. However, they had never been taught Quidditch and Honey had to say it did sound like quite fun. Though, she wasn’t sure that she wanted to learn it here since only a select number of students would actually be playing and that would limit her on whom there was to get to know.

Being experienced, but not interested in Quidditch, Honey decided to do exactly as Coach Pierce suggested and have some fun. Taking a broom, she moved a little away from the group so as not to disrupt anyone that was just learning, but close enough that she could easily be approached. Calling the broom to her, she easily caught the handle. Now, one might think that it would be appropriate to saddle the broom properly, but this is just what Honey didn’t do. Instead, she faced in the direction of the tail in an experiment to see just what would happen if she tried to fly her broom in the opposite manner. Unfortunately, she fell a few times since she hadn’t actually learned how to fly in this manner.

Trying a few more times, she got the broom going and picked up a bit of speed. It was hard though since the broom didn’t seem to be enjoying the wind bushing out the tail end of the broom. Playing around, she tried switching the other way. Though, it did present the small problem of not being able to see behind her. She was just thinking of how cool it would be to add some mirrors to the broom so that she could see what was coming when she ran into something – or someone! Falling to the ground, she ignored the painful way her elbow hit and instead brought her hands to her mouth in a horrified gasp. “I’m so sorry! Are you all right?”

0 Honey Baird Being different. 243 Honey Baird 0 5

Wendy Canterbury - Pecari

August 29, 2012 12:09 AM

Trying to fit in by Wendy Canterbury - Pecari

Wendy couldn't wait for her very first class at Sonora to begin. She put on her favorite set of shorts, her sky blue Chucks and a white blouse underneath her uniform. It was weird wearing a robe at all times here, but she guessed that was just the style of clothing magical people wore. She wanted to be just like one of them so she tried not to stick out too much.

Her blonde hair was too short to tie, but it was getting long enough to start getting into her face. Waverly had warned her about flying class, so Wendy pinned her bangs up so she wouldn't crash into someone or lose her balance because she couldn't see. The thought of flying on a broom both excited and scared Wendy. She couldn't imagine ever flying on something so flimsy, but then again, this was magic! Anything could happen at Sonora.

She raced to her first class and was a few minutes early. She waited around a little bit, smiling at her housemates, and then roll-call started. She answered when her name was called and then class really began. She watched enviously as the people who were used to flying already went off on their own. Now it was her turn to learn and she tried to imagine how it would feel being up in the air and throwing a ball.

Wendy could barely keep her feet on the ground just hearing about this flying on brooms. It was something the muggle-born had only heard about in fairy tales. Apparently there were such things as elves too, but since Wendy had never had a pet dog or elf, she had to imagine herself talking to a pet or ordering someone around. "Up!" The broom rolled on the ground and then stopped. That alone startled Wendy, but she tried not to show it too much. "Up! Up!" The broom wobbled, but on her fourth try, it flew into her hand, albeit relunctantly. Or at least it felt that way, funnily enough.

Now that she had the broom, she put her leg over and got ready to start going. She shot up into the air only a few inches, but it shocked Wendy so much she actually fell off her broom. The landing just knocked the wind out of her, but that was all. She took a breath before getting up. Hopefully no one had seen that. Her face was red now from embarrassment. She mounted her fallen broom again and this time lifted slowly, bit by bit. It threatened to shoot up again, but she tried her hardest not to let it. Finally! She was now hovering just a few feet off the ground. A smile blossomed onto her face, proud of her triumph, and she squeezed the broom's wooden handle tightly as she looked down. Now, uh, how was she supposed to get down?

0 Wendy Canterbury - Pecari Trying to fit in 0 Wendy Canterbury - Pecari 0 5

Clara Abernathy, Pecari

August 29, 2012 12:46 AM

If this is soo easy why can't I do it? by Clara Abernathy, Pecari

Clara walked out to the Quidditch Pitch dreading this next time around for flying class. She had done less than stellar her first time around and had it not been for her cousin Abbi begging her practically on hands and knees to come with her to class, Clara would have scrapped the whole idea. She was very happy with her feet staying firmly on the ground. Why couldn't they be happy with that? She was. She took her new broom with her and looked around the first years for her cousin. Abbi was somewhere in the middle looking terrified. Clara sighed patiently and waved to her giving her a confident smile even if she herself didn't feel it. She waved awkwardly to Coach Pierce and waited for her to finish speaking to the class before she spoke. "Hi Coach Pierce," she greeted cheerfully. She didn't want to appear afraid.

She walked over to where some of the first years stood and found an empty spot. She smiled at her cousin Abbi beside her and placed her broom onto the ground yet again. Okay...you can do this she chanted to herself as she positioned herself by the broom. She glanced down at it and briefly thought about quitting. She then mentally kicked herself for thinking such a way. An Abernathy never gave up! She swallowed down her fears and squared her slender shoulders. She was going to fly dang it or her name wasn't Clara Marie Abernathy (which it was). She held out her hand and issued the command. "Up!" she told the broom forcefully. The broom immediately jumped up into her hand and she smiled slighty.

Once she had the broomstick in her hand Clara placed her leg over just as she had the first time around. Once she did that she kicked her feet off the ground slightly and let it hover for a moment. She felt herself and the broomstick hover up in the air for a bit before the broomstick decided it didn't like just hovering. Before she could figure out what she was doing the broomstick took off like a shot across the pitch with Clara screaming hysterically. She somehow managed to zig around a few trees, the Quidditch poles and most of the first years. How she had managed to get the broom to zoom like that was way beyond the young Pecari, but she knew from previous experience that it would not end well.

She had just about had the broom under control when she saw the tree coming up on her left. However, she had noticed the tree too late. The front end of the broom bounced off of the trees' bark and sent Clara into a tailspin. She crashed back and behind first against the hard tree bark knocking her off the run away broom. She hit her head on one of the tree branches as she fell causing her eyesight to blur slightly. She hit the ground with an extrememly hard thud, her head slighlty bouncing off the ground as she landed. She was sure to have drawn the attention of a few people with her screaming and she was almost certain one of the faces she saw circled around her was that of her cousin Abbi. Grinning weakly at her she whispered, "How did I do?" before completely blacking out on the ground.

0 Clara Abernathy, Pecari If this is soo easy why can't I do it? 232 Clara Abernathy, Pecari 0 5

Carter Browning, Teppenpaw

August 29, 2012 1:16 AM

Too bad this can't be my favorite class by Carter Browning, Teppenpaw

Carter walked out onto the Quidditch Pitch with his trust old broomstick and looked around in awe. It was massive up close. He shuffled into the semi-circle group of first years and waited for Coach Pierce to finish her speech. He answered "Here" when he heard his name called during roll call and tuned the rest out that didn't pertain to him directly. He scooped out the balls Coach Pierce had laid out for them to play with and decided to pick up the Quaffle. He tossed it up in the air and caught it with ease sending it soaring into the air again. This time he really put some speed on it as he hurled it up into the air. He caught it against his chest and grunted slightly when it hit him. "Umph!" he grunted quietly.

He brought the ball over with him to the line of students, (mostly first years like himself) and set his broom down as instructed. He chose a side and reached out his hand. "Up!" he told the broom firmly, the quaffle still tucked neatly under his arm. The broom leapt up from the ground and into Carter's waiting hand. He swung his leg over the broomstick and straddled the broomstick. When it began to hover slightly he kicked up a little from the ground and once he had control over it began tossing the quaffle to himself, flying small distances back and forth. He was just getting ready to do one of his tricks when the sound of screaming pierced his eardrums. He dropped the quaffle and planted his hands over his ears to block out the noise.

He watched briefly and then suddenly realized the screaming was heading right for him. He rolled upside down on the broom and waited for the girl to come zooming past. Once she did he turned back towards the open pitch and found himself catching sight of the girl just as she struck a tree. He found himself covering his eyes with his palm as she fell from the broom and landed with a loud thud on the ground. "Coach Pierce!" he called out as he landed his broom. "Perhaps we should take her to the medical wing?" he suggested, staning amonst the students that had undoubtedly gathered around her. He found himself stiffling a laugh at the question she posed to the girl leaning over her just as she seemed to lose consciousness.

Perhaps flying wasn't really all that easy for everyone like I had originally assumed, he thoughed slighlty sobered by the experience. He shook his head at the girl's obvious misfortune and looked around for his cousin. Perhaps she hadn't seen the girl hit the tree and then the ground. It was worth a shot at least. Hopefully she hadn't heard any of it and had maybe just heard the screanibg. He wouldn't know for certain until he found her and asked her for himself.

0 Carter Browning, Teppenpaw Too bad this can't be my favorite class 0 Carter Browning, Teppenpaw 0 5

Coach Pierce

August 29, 2012 10:07 AM

It did not get this far. by Coach Pierce

OOC FOR EVERYBODY: I apologize for not specifying this earlier, but do not crash and burn in your post. A qualified Quidditch instructor is right there with you. She has been doing this a long time and will rescue you well before you cause yourself serious harm. Also, it is a sporting arena bound on all sides by spectator stands; there are no trees on the pitch any more than there would be in a football stadium. BIC:

After taking attendence of the first years, she noted down the names of the second years who had also joined them today. Jay was probably here either for more flying time or to hang out with his relatives since his grade had been fine last year. Clara's, on the other hand, had not been. Amelia honestly wasn't sure if she felt more admiration for the girl's gumption or dread for having her in class for another whole year.

Even as she turned to address Miss Eponine's eager request for Quidditch training, Amelia never fully took her eye off Clara. That girl was even more cursed on a broom than Jhonice Trevear.

She hadn't been able to so much as thank the Quidditch eager first year for her interest before things started going wrong. First one girl fell off her broom - the new Cambell girl, she thought - but she was fine, no worse off than the Briar boy who had tripped over his own feet on the way in.

Then the Curse of Clara Abernathy struck again. "Down!" she shouted, either just in time or else young Mr. Browning saw the danger in time himself and ducked away.

She had no memory of drawing her wand but it was in her hand and pointing it at the girl speeding directly toward one of the goal posts. Two spells later, first a cushioning charm on the ground, then the same paralysis spell that dropped Carrie O'Malley when she tried to walk away in insubordination now dropped Clara Abernathy and her broom onto the padded ground just before they would have otherwise collided painfully with the metal reinforced wooden pole. Between the charmed air cushions she landed on and the magical braces holding her stiff as a board, she should have avoided major injury.

She thought this time the Board of Governors might congratulate her instead of fulfilling their threat to fire her the next time she petrified a student.

Still, the girl was probably going to be disoriented and possibly have some minor friction burns or bruises since the petrifus totalis hex had not entirely protected her from her own momentum. But at least she had avoided a concussion or broken bones.

Amelia released the jinx holding the second year rigid and asked for a volunteer, "I need someone to help escort Clara to the hospital wing." She then turned to the victim herself, "Do you think to can make it to Medic Bailey?"

0 Coach Pierce It did not get this far. 0 Coach Pierce 0 5

Coach Pierce

August 29, 2012 10:40 AM

I am glad to hear it by Coach Pierce

It was students like Eponine Taylor that made Amelia's job enjoyable. In all truth, she would be just as happy as most purebloods to drop the Flying Lesson requirement and let it be an optional class. Then she would not have to spend so much time fighting to get reluctant students who were raised to believe touching brooms was some kind of sin to even participate and could instead focus on the people who actually wanted to be here to learn how amazing it was to fly.

And for trying to improve the skills of people who just were not capable of controlling a broom.

She didn't even have to apologize or excuse herself from her aborted conversation with Miss Taylor. Clara's emergency took precedence. Only after the second year girl had been returned to the ground relatively unscathed and send off to see the Medic, did she get to finally answer Miss Taylor's question.

"I'm sorry about that," she began, because she certainly did not want Eponine to feel she was less important just because she hadn't been in imminent danger of crushing her skull. "Thank you for being patient. I believe first years don't have any classes at three o'clock on Tuesdays or Thursdays, so if you want to meet then, we can start going over some more Quidditch related flying skills."

When she had initially made the statement during her lecture, she had thought she would just put the interested students into a slightly accelerated course during normal lessons. If Clara was retaking the course again and she still had a fairly good size normal class, though, it would really work much better to give the ones who wanted the extra training some personal attention in a smaller group less prone to disasters.

"Would you be interested in doing that?"

0 Coach Pierce I am glad to hear it 0 Coach Pierce 0 5

Rupert Princeton, Pecari

August 29, 2012 1:19 PM

I am. by Rupert Princeton, Pecari

Rupert was looking forward to his Quidditch lessons only because he was so good at flying he knew for certain that he'd receive a high O in this class. Rupert didn't fear much, and he certainly didn't fear heights. When Quidditch try-outs began, he would definitely try out for a good position, either Chaser or Beater. Either sounded fun.

Though his father hated his sons wearing any sort of Muggle clothing underneath their robes, his mother had gotten him used to the extra fabric. Today he was wearing trousers and a light summer button-up that his father would be sure to pull his hair out on sight. He made sure his robes didn't let it show just in case. His blonde hair had grown long over the summer and Mother hadn't bothered to cut it off like she usually did. She'd been rather relaxed about things, lately. It was a nice change.

When roll call began, he raised his hand when his name was called, but spent the rest of that time looking around the pitch. It looked like any ordinary pitch. It was just that it was in America, not England. It would take some getting used to, America. He wasn't sure if he was a big fan yet, but he was glad to be out of his house and in another new place. He'd hardly been allowed to go to London with Cepheus because his parents didn't trust the sort of friends he'd make in the city. It was rubbish, but then his parents had never trusted him not to muck things up any way.

After being conscious during the Coach's entire speech, he left to join the others who got to play Quidditch and do their own thing. After realising that most, all, really, of the Pecaris in his year were girls, he needed to make friends with some blokes. He'd go mad if he was surrounded by girls all the time.

The boys were taking positions and Rup was glad for the chance to practise his beating skills. "I'm pretty handy with a bat myself," he added. One of the blokes looked older than a first year, but Rupert wasn't one to judge on outer appearance. "Rupert Princeton, of the Surrey Princetons." He nodded at the guys, having a feeling that they were the sort that didn't tolerate many liberal ideas. Though Rupert inherently liked to be with people who didn't give a care about pure-blood traditions and the like, he could easily fit in with either party. He had been raised as the second son of the heir which meant loads of traditions and etiquette lessons. Yech.

0 Rupert Princeton, Pecari I am. 0 Rupert Princeton, Pecari 0 5

Alexandra D'Alesandro

August 29, 2012 10:49 PM

If that is how you want to describe it. by Alexandra D'Alesandro

Alexandra woke up with a sense of dread the morning of her flying lessons. She was taught that it was not proper for young ladies to fly unless certain circumstances called for it. Her brother, Lucian, used to sneak out of the house and practice flying around their backyard. He flies very well now, but Alex did not feel the need to compete with him over it since she clearly was the one with more class.

Since she had to wear a dull robe in order to look like everyone else, obviously so they wouldn’t feel inferior to her, Alex decided to wear one of her favorite pink dresses underneath it for good luck. What was the worst that could happen to it? She was going to be in the air after all.

Taking her place on the field with the other students, Alex managed to get her broom to obey her first command as it rose to her hand. Sitting on the broom was another matter. Perhaps wearing a dress was not the best decision she has ever made. Deciding on the side straddle being the best option, Alex was just about to ask to have the cushion charm adjusted when BAM! Something hit her from behind and knocked her face forward into the grass.

Alex quickly leapt to her feet and assessed the damage. Her beloved dress had grass stains all over it, but physically there was no harm done. She turned with rage to see what had run into her and saw a girl lying on the ground asking if she was alright.

“What is wrong with you?!” she began yelling at the girl, “You ruined my dress and could have injured my hand!” The thought of not being able to practice piano enraged Alex even further. “Where in the world did you learn how to follow instruct-“ Alex cut herself short realizing she was probably drawing the attention of other students. While she was angry, she also did not want to receive detention for something she did not cause.

After a few moments, Alex composed herself into a more ladylike state and offered her hand out to help the girl up. “Unlike my dress, I am okay. Are you alright? It looks like you landed on your elbow.”

0 Alexandra D'Alesandro If that is how you want to describe it. 240 Alexandra D'Alesandro 0 5

Abigail Thornton, Crotalus

August 29, 2012 11:12 PM

It went too far apparently... by Abigail Thornton, Crotalus

Abigail had finally succeeded in convincing Clara to come to Flying Class with her. Abi had to actually beg her cousin, practically on hands and knees, but finally Clara relented. Abs was glad her favorite person in the world had come to be with her. She was nervous. Abi, herself would be much happier with her feet on the ground. Clara knew that, and Abi only assumed that she’d come for her sake.

Uncle Bryan had bought Clara a new broom, Abi had no idea why… She herself, was borrowing Arista’s broom. Amira had bought herself one with her own money and refused her sister’s begging to borrow hers. It was alright for Abi though, she didn’t care. Abi walked out to the Pitch with the other first years and tried hard to gravitate towards Clara to no avail.

Clara waved and shot her a confident smile. Abi was glad for her cousin’s confidence, but she herself didn’t feel any. Her heart pounded as Coach Pierce started talking. She sort of knew how to fly. She wasn’t so good at it and wanted nothing to do with trying to play some sport with the other flyers. Clara had a habit of hurting herself when she tried flying. Abi wasn’t as bad, but she didn’t have the balance and even when she was only hovering, she fell over.

Coach said she was going to take role and she started with McKinley. This girl was crazy weird about dirt. Abi wondered why she was so scared of it, it wasn’t anything big after all. It wasn’t scary, it was just dirty… Dirt was fine for her, but whatever floated. The girl didn’t really bother her too badly yet, she was her roommate though, so that had a possibility of changing too. She shrugged it off and listened for her name. When it finally came up, she said, “Here!” as she raised her hand. Abi was almost positive that the coach could figure out that she was a Thornton with her red hair and all, but that didn’t mean anyone else wasn’t a red-head too!

Coach Pierce mentioned that there were brooms over there that the students could take and spoke to the ones who were going flying on their own before she’d turned to the group of beginners. Abi lined up with Clara and the other beginners, finally getting close enough to her cousin to be next to her. Coach went on, as if she was talking to a bunch of girls alone, and pureblood ones at that. Abi rolled her eyes at part of it, but didn’t really think anyone saw it.

Coach handed out brooms to the students that needed them. Abi had Rista’s so she didn’t need one. She clung to her oldest sister’s broom as Coach explained the part she knew. Placing the broom down beside her carefully, she put her hand up over it and said, “Up.” Her voice came out soft and the broom didn’t even roll over. Right… Why would you follow directions…? she thought to herself.

“UP!” she said louder and as confidently as she could muster. It came up into her hand and slapped hard at her palm. Ouch… she thought as she cringed, rubbing her palm with her other hand before she put her leg over the handle of the broom. I can do this… I can do this… she thought, closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath for a moment, before opening them to hear a scream beside her moving farther away.

Clara had been apparently hovering, but was no longer hovering anymore. Her broom took off like a shot from a gun across the pitch and Clara was screaming. “CLARA!” Abi screamed and dropped her broom entirely as she ran across the pitch after her.

Abi had one thought in her mind as she ran, it was a long and logical one. MY MOTHER IS GOING TO KILL ME FOR THIS ONE! My begging Clara to come may have killed her! “CLARA!!” she called again loudly. Suddenly there was a cushion on the ground and Clara was on top of it, magical braces holding her still. “CLARA!!” Abi called again as she reached her cousin.

Leaning down right next to Clara, Abi’s eyes flew from Clara to the Coach and back to Clara again. Clara whispered, "How did I do?"

“How did you do?” Abi repeated to her. “Clara! Are you seriously asking how you did when you’re laying here on a mattress?! I’m just glad you didn’t KILL yourself!” she said as Coach Pierce asked for someone to help Clara to the Hospital Wing. “I will. I’ll help her.” she said, as thoughts in her mind flew faster than a waterfall. Without my begging her, Clara wouldn’t be in this mess… she thought. Momma’s gonna kill me…

0 Abigail Thornton, Crotalus It went too far apparently... 0 Abigail Thornton, Crotalus 0 5

Honey

August 29, 2012 11:35 PM

How would you describe it? by Honey

Honey took a step back from the girl that she had run into, more out of surprise than anything else. She didn’t think the incident had been that big of an ordeal, but with the way this girl was carrying on, it seemed like the end of the world. Her brow arched upwards. Was she actually being serious? It had been an accident! Geez, people really needed to chill out. She had just been having some fun. This girl was seriously starting to agitate her, but she held her tongue. It had been her fault after all. Instead, she focused on adjusting her silver bracelets while letting the girl run out of steam.

When she finally quieted down, Honey opened her mouth to apologize again when the girl shocked her by asking about her elbow. In the heat of the moment, she had completely forgotten about it. Pulling up her sleeve, she took a look at it. “Just a bit scraped.” She gave a shrug before letting her robe fall back into place. “I really am sorry that I ran into you. And I’m sorry about your dress. I can replace it,” she offered. Manners were key and though, she didn’t always show them, she did have them – just a part of the proper pureblood training. She could have written a manual for all the rules there were.

Secretly, though, she actually did enjoy the rules, but to give in to them would mean to give in to her parents and she wasn’t about to go down that road. If she gave in, then she would become lost and everything would just become about Heaven. She loved her sister. She did, but she hated all the attention her sister got, because of her condition. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t like it made her special. If anything, it made her weak! Didn’t her parents see that she would be a much better choice to pay attention too? She was strong. She would make them proud. But no, it was always about Heaven! Stupid Heaven!

“Anyhow, sorry for not properly introducing myself.” She stuck out her laced hand. “My name is Honey Baird.” By proper standards, she should have added ‘of the Connecticut Bairds,’ but she didn’t. If the girl knew anything about the familial lines, then she might figure it out and if she didn’t, then whatever. Honey wasn’t going to spend all her time on all of that when it didn’t even matter. If people wanted to be her friend just based on that, then they were wasting their time, because she didn’t really want to be their friend even though she actually did. But it would be better if she made friends with other types of people, especially if it annoyed her parents. She hoped this girl was one of the other types of people, but she doubted it. Oh, well. No need to be rude. “Nice to meet you.”

0 Honey How would you describe it? 0 Honey 0 5

Clara

August 31, 2012 12:11 AM

Trees....Goal Poles...does it really matter? by Clara

Clara glanced up at Coach Pierce from her position on the grounded cushion. Her head and body hurt in several places from whatever whammie the Coach had placed on her, but at least it was better than the alternative. She vaguely recalled that there were no trees here on the pitch, but that didn't stop her little brain from seeing one coming right at her from where the goal post stood. I guess seeing wood careening towards my face made me flash back to the oak tree at home she told herself as she heard her cousin and Coach Pierce talking. She smiled weakly at her cousin knowing Abbi would be concerned about her latest failure at broom riding. Why she even bothered trying when the darn thing obviously hated her was beyond the almost 12 year old.

"Its okay Abbs," she assured her cousin as she attempted to stand up. "I think I can get to Medic Bailey okay," she told Coach Pierce, grinning sheepishly. "I'll bet its safe to say I'm a lost cause huh Coach?" she asked and then laughed lightly causing her head to pound a little. "Is there any way I can keep my feet on the ground and not fail this class?" she inquired half seriously. "I ask only because it might be safer for everyone involved if I don't EVER try that again." She knew it was probably silly to ask, but that didn't stop her from being curious. She looked over at Abbi and was fairly certain she knew her cousin would not let her attempt the walk to the Hospital Wing and to Medic Bailey alone so instead of trying to argue with her she simply sighed and allowed Abbi to lead her away. "Great...another wonderful disaster I get to tell dad all about," she mumbled under her breath as they walked (well Abbi walked, she hobbled a little) towards the Hospital Wing. Once there she laid down on one of the beds and waited for Medic Bailey. Yay! My first trip to the Hospital Wing she thought glumly. Probably not the last trip she'll make here she was sure. She closed her eyes and waited for the dizziness to pass.

0 Clara Trees....Goal Poles...does it really matter? 232 Clara 0 5

Alex

August 31, 2012 12:27 AM

Probably with an adjective such as strange or peculiar. by Alex

Once Alexandra composed herself and calmed down, she gave the girl that ran into her a once over. Her robe came a bit undone during the collision, and revealed the clothing she was wearing underneath. Alex found it to be quite peculiar attire. She was always taught that it was not proper to wear things with animal prints. And what was up with this girl’s hair? Alex would never have left her room with her hair in that fashion. It was an original hairstyle, she would give the other girl that, but just not proper. She should be worried about her image instead of fiddling with those silver bracelets…

The girl apologizing again interrupted Alex’s scrutiny. “It is okay,” Alex began in reply, “Just try to be more careful next time. And unfortunately the dress was an original designed for me. It was a birthday present. It can’t be replaced.” She realized that she probably said it in a harsh tone, but it was the truth. One cannot easily replace such things. Though, Alex was taken a bit off guard by the offer. Maybe this girl wasn’t as ill mannered as she once thought.

The girl then introduced herself as Honey Baird. Where had Alex heard that last name before? She could have sworn that her mother had introduced a woman with that name to her at some kind of boring function or at least mentioned the name to someone there. If so, that could mean this girl was a pureblood. That thought didn’t make much sense to Alex at first, though after thinking about it she realized the girl did have at least a few manners.

Alex replied to the girl’s introduction with “I am Alexandra D’Alesandro, from Boston…but most people call me Alex. Nice to meet you too.” Her curiosity finally got the best of her and she added, “So what is up with you? Are you a pureblood or what?”
Alex realized this was a very blunt approach, and could be considered rude, but she did not care. She had other things she needed to focus on, and Honey was the one who rudely ran into her in the first place.

0 Alex Probably with an adjective such as strange or peculiar. 0 Alex 0 5

Amity Brockert, Aladren

August 31, 2012 4:19 AM

Another activity. Meh. by Amity Brockert, Aladren

Amity did not support WAIL. She thought the idea that it turned girls into lesbians was ridiculous and illogical but she was still rather grateful for it. If it hadn't been for the organization, her mother would expect her to play Quidditch. Amity would have been expected to be Captain, the way that she was expected to be prefect and Head Girl. Worse, she would have had lessons in that too prior to Sonora and the Aladren wasn't sure she could have stood to have any more stuff. It was bad enough her mother still wanted her to learn Japanese, German and Greek in addition to all the other languages Amity had learned and was not fluent in or even as good as her mother wanted her to be.

Actually, the first year wasn't as good as her mother wanted her to be at anything. It wasn't from a total inability in any activity, but more due to the fact that there wasn't enough time to focus on them all. Plus, by now, Amity really just plain didn't care . Nothing was anything she'd chosen for herself. She had long stopped caring about her mother's expectations.

Her sister, Chaslyn was different. The seven year old strove to make their mother happy, much harder than Amity had at that age. The Aladren was far less of people pleaser than the younger girl was. She worried a bit about Chaslyn at times, trying to be successful at the impossible at such a young age. That could lead to all sorts of issues as she got older.

Of course, Amity's attitude and progress regarding these extracurricular activities was often compared to her sister's unfavorably which was a tad embarrassing given that the Aladren was four years her sister's senior. Not enough for Amity to do anything about it though. Chaslyn wasn't perfect or the best around at these activities either and Mother would yell at her for it as well when she lost a gymnastics meet or a dance competition.

It just made Amity hate her mother all the more. She might not have been as protective of the seven year old as Arabella was of her siblings but Chaslyn was still her sister and while the Aladren would tune her mother out-she never one these things and was yelled at far more often- the younger girl would cry and Amity hated to see that.

There was another reason that she wasn't looking forward to this class. The first year's cousins had made a very...unique impression on Coach Pierce. Ryan had done terribly in flying lessons, and worse, there was Carrie. Who had tried to walk out of class, said some very rude things to the Coach and gotten hexed. Amity didn't have the same last name as them and it was unlikely that Coach Pierce was up on her genealogy of pureblood families but Uncle Seth did work here and so had Aunt Lila...il Ivy had been born. Besides, their instructor really did seem to have contempt for proper pureblood girls who didn't want to fly from what Amity understood.

She stood with the rest of her classmates and listened while Coach Pierce took roll, responding when her name was called and trying to put names to faces, though it weirded the Aladren out a little when both Pierce twins answered to 'Pierce, Annabelle.' It seemed like a very respectable group with a lot of prominent names. Probably for the best as Amity couldn't imagine what she would have in common with someone who wasn't a pureblood.

The Aladren waited while the experienced fliers went off to go play Quidditch, something that she wouldn't have gone to do even if she'd flown before and it wasn't considered shameful, because it just didn't interest her at all. Amity took a broom and placed her hand over it as instructed. "Up!" It went right into her hand. She was a rather assertive person, which was likely part of Ryan's problem with flying, as he was not, so it was easier for her to get her broom to rise.

Not that being assertive did her much good with her mother. All it did was get her in trouble for having a smart mouth. She'd once replied to this complaint that Mother should be proud that Amity had an aspect about her that was smart, but that hadn't gone over real well either.

The first year raised her hand and waited while the Coach put a side-saddle charm on her broom. She didn't want to give anyone a reason to think her improper. Irking her mother was one thing, shaming the entire Brockert family and disappointing her father was another. Amity mounted the broom and turned to the person next to her. "I am Amity Brockert of the Colorado Brockerts." She introduced herself.

11 Amity Brockert, Aladren Another activity. Meh. 233 Amity Brockert, Aladren 0 5

Alan

August 31, 2012 10:41 PM

As long as we're all here by Alan

Alan was pleased when the others seemed prepared to accept his leadership, though his eyes widened when he put together the one who introduced himself as a Carey calling the other one ‘Anthony’. That, he would not have expected. The Careys were supposed to be the kind of family that looked down on…well, everyone, frankly, not just families like his, pureblood but only recently ascended to the status of wealthy pureblood, but these two didn’t seem that bad. Though admittedly, Anthony – if he was Anthony Carey, the one his mother had specifically mentioned as someone to look out for and his father as someone to try to befriend – hadn’t said enough yet for Alan to be sure what kind of guy he was.

“Oh, yeah,” he said, realizing that he hadn’t told anyone his name yet. “I’m Alan Raines, Illinois.” He found the ‘s’ on the end of his last name made the standard introduction format a little awkward to say, so he didn’t. Besides, his family name was recognizable enough in the Midwest and east that he wasn’t worried about anyone being too unclear about it. The foreign-sounding one, Rupert Princeton, might not know one way or another, but he did seem to have picked up that he was among purebloods, so that would be fine. Alan was guessing the clothes gave it away that he was reasonably well-off and respectable if nothing else did, anyway.

A bright mental image of a Bludger hitting one of the large number of girls still in the beginners’ lesson introduced itself to Alan’s mind when he got back, mentally, to the part about Rupert being a Beater, and an image of himself possibly being disemboweled by Uncle Charles’ secretary-who-wasn’t-a-secretary if the girl was Isabel followed quickly on its heels. The one where Bludgers hit him wasn't great, either. He hoped they could avoid all that. “If we could get four Chasers and another Keeper we could sort of have teams,” he suggested. This would probably not be ideal for people not on one of those teams, but, well, they could go somewhere else. “It’s not much fun if no one is trying to steal the Quaffle, right?”

Or so he assumed. Alan didn’t like Quidditch. He had only suggested a game because he knew – had read, anyway; male peers weren’t things he’d had before – it was what most of the people he was in a social group with would like, which could make it a shortcut to popularity.

0 Alan As long as we're all here 0 Alan 0 5

Honey

August 31, 2012 10:41 PM

I prefer unique. by Honey

“Oh, how wonderful!” Honey said, clapping her hands together when the girl told her that the dress was an original. “If it were designed specifically for you, then it can be designed again, right? Honestly, it wouldn’t be any trouble to pay to have another one made.” Some could consider it flaunting of wealth to offer such a thing, but Honey didn’t look at it that way. She had ruined the dress and it was only right to try to make amends. It would be rude not to keep trying. Even if the girl didn’t take her up on the offer, maybe she would be willing to let her do something else for her as an apology.

She was about to say it was nice to make Alex’s acquaintance and to comment on how utterly cool it was that she went by a male name when she seemingly bluntly asked if she was a pureblood. All Honey could do was blink at her for a few moments. How was she supposed to respond to such a thing? “What do you mean what is up with me? Well…did you know that there is no real thing as a pureblood, halfblood, or muggleborn? We all possess varying degrees of magic regardless of how many generations of magic have been carried through our line and we all have at least one magical ancestor somewhere in there.”

Honey chewed on the inside of her cheek a moment before adding, “Though, I suppose what you want to really know is how society would define me. That would be a pureblood. However, if you would like to ask how I define myself, it is as an unique individual.” At this, Honey smiled. She knew that most would not understand what she actually meant. Sometimes, she wasn’t even sure what she meant, but it at least sounded good. Truthfully, she thought it made her sound intelligent, which she liked the sound of. She wanted to have something that was different from her sister, which was part of why she dressed and acted the way she did.

0 Honey I prefer unique. 0 Honey 0 5

Isabel Raines, Crotalus

August 31, 2012 11:02 PM

It's not just any activity, though by Isabel Raines, Crotalus

Isabel was nervous about flying lessons, but wasn’t sure if she was nervous about the possibility that she would fall flat on her face the moment she touched a broom or about the possibility that she wouldn’t. It was a complete secret, because they would both be in trouble if anyone ever found out anything about it, but Alan had dared her once to try to ride on his broom, and she had never been able to refuse a dare like that, so technically, she was coming into the class with some experience.

Nice girls, as everyone knew, did not fly, at least not like that. They might glide around every now and then, because it was part of the cultural heritage, but even that wasn’t completely smiled on, so it was safer just to keep her feet on the ground. If anyone ever found out about that one childish indiscretion, Isabel was sure her reputation would be ruined, and if it ever came out, she was sure it was today.

When the coach mentioned riding the broom sidesaddle, then, Isabel started to sigh in relief before she caught herself, and even then she still smiled more brightly than she should have at all during lessons. This was something she hadn’t tried before, so of course she would be just as bad at it as all the other girls were. It wasn’t the same thing at all. She wasn’t going to be in disgrace before she even ate her second supper here. Luck, as it had so often – more often than not, really, but that had yet to make her take it completely for granted – been before, was on her side today.

She watched, surprised, as either Annabelle or Annette Pierce – they had both answered to ‘Annabelle’ during the teacher’s roll call, but she knew they had different names, they had introduced themselves to her by them when they met at Miss Sinclair’s party all those years ago – flew away with the group that didn’t need to learn, and then she put her hand up to have her broom changed along with a number of others. Once it was, she was trying to decide whether or not, once she got in the air, she should go join the respectable Pierce girl and Effie when another girl spoke to her and took the question out of her hands. Luck, again, or at least she thought so.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said with a smile. “I am Isabel Raines, of the Illinois Raines’.” She looked hard at her broom, then closed her eyes and, in the most commanding tone she could muster, said, “Up!”

She felt relief and disappointment at the same time when it only jumped up about two feet off the ground before falling back down. It was a very strange feeling. It took another try to get it to her hand so she could get on it, a wobbly seat she held almost as uneasily as it looked like she did. “I don’t like this,” she informed Miss Brockert, not at all just for show. It felt like she was going to fall backward at any second.

0 Isabel Raines, Crotalus It's not just any activity, though 0 Isabel Raines, Crotalus 0 5

Anonymous

September 01, 2012 10:30 AM

Re: Trying to fit in by Anonymous

Clarissa was almost shaking with nervous exitement as she walked out onto the Quidditch pitch for her first flying lesson. She noticed that there were some older students here, but that most of them were first years like herself. Some were smiling, like the blonde girl near her but others looked like they didn't want to be there at all. She couldn't imagine why, unless this was the magical equivalent of P.E. class. She hadn't enjoyed P.E. at school, but that was largely because of the grim British weather - summer sports had been much more fun, even civilised. Clarissa couldn't help but feel that students in Arizona had more to smile about.

Since learning that she was a witch and arriving at Sonora, this was the first bit of magic she had been expected to do. Flying! Really? Even when she realised that she was a witch and had purchased herself some robes she thought flying on broomsticks might just be a myth. Living at Sonora, however briefly, had opened her eyes to the magical posibilities that surrounded her, but she still didn't feel truly part of it. She promised herself that if she really could fly, she would believe that she was a witch, and not someone sent by mistake.

For the flying lesson Clarissa had chosen jeans and a plain long sleeved t-shirt. She wore her fox necklace for luck, but tucked it under her clothes; this outfit was suitable for flying through the air, if it happened, but also the much more probably event that she found herself rolling around on the grass. Some of the more confident students were wearing dresses, but others were more practically dressed like her.

Clarissa noticed that the blonde girl who ahd smiled at her had some of her hair pinned back - very sensible. Clarissa had begrudgingly put hers into a ponytail, having decided that death due to self-inflicted blindness was probably worse than people commenting on her strange eyes. People always seemed to have trouble with the fact that while her right eye was brown, the left was green. Not a slightly greenish - green like Devon on a sunny day. People had two ears, one nose, one mouth and two eyes that were the same colour as each other, no matter what they might be. It's what they saw on the faces of everyone around them and in the mirror. This was the acknowledged truth, even to Clarissa, despite the fact that a slightly different circumstance was often quite literally staring her in the face.

She had pretty much gotten used to it now however - it really wasn't that interesting afterall. But new people often found it unsettling. Because of this she had been given the nickname "witch eye" - one that had turned out to be ironic, and seemed unlikely to catch on here!

When the time came, some students that had been firmly grounded just seconds before confidently mounted their brooms and glided up in the air. Some of the girls were riding it sideways, thouh this looked even more dangerous. Clarissa realised simultaneously that some of these girls looked very uncomfortable, and that she hadn't done anything yet.

Following the blonde girl next to her, Clarissa said "up" and to her surprise the broom flew up into her hand. What now? She balanced precariously on the thin stick of wood as others seemed to be doing, and tried to forgeet that she she was doing magic. She held on tightly, but the broom rose slowly and then stopped. Everything seemed suprisingly

Clarissa relaxed a bit, but tried not to think about how far up in the air she was. The blonde first year was up in the air too, smiling but not doing anything either. Had they missed an instruction? "Erm...what do we do now?" Clarissa called out, trying to sound positive, and not as utterly clueless as she obviously was.

0 Anonymous Re: Trying to fit in 0 Anonymous 0 5

Clarissa Clark

September 01, 2012 10:32 AM

Trying not to fall off by Clarissa Clark

OOC

That last post was by Clarissa Clark whose author unfortunately has a knack for pressing the wrong buttons.

0 Clarissa Clark Trying not to fall off 1486 Clarissa Clark 0 5

Alex

September 01, 2012 1:39 PM

If you are unique, what does that make me? by Alex

Alex watched as Honey clapped her hands together excitedly while talking about how the dress could be remade. It apparently didn’t take much to excite this girl. “It is okay, really,” Alex began after some thought, “I have a lot of dresses at home. I just really like the color pink. My mother usually tries to get me to wear green because of my eye color, but I still manage to convince my nanny to purchase a bright pink dress when we go into town.” Alex smirked a little bit. She did indeed like getting what she wanted, even though she was respectful of her mother’s wishes for the most part. It wasn’t that she was rebellious, for she still wanted to be a proper pureblood, she just merely wanted to be proper on her own terms. She didn’t see anything wrong with that. Even the most strict and proper purebloods must desire a certain level of freedom.

Honey seemed to stop and ponder Alex’s question about whether or not she was a pureblood for a few moments before responding. Her response reminded Alex of something her brother would say, which made her quietly sigh. She would have settled for a simple yes or no. She didn’t need to hear about theories of magical ancestry.

Finally, Honey answered the question admitting she was in fact a pureblood. Alex looked over the strange girl in front of her once more. She was unique all right. Most of the girls in Alex’s house would probably stick their nose in the air and walk past the girl without giving her the time of day. Normally, Alex may be inclined to do the same thing in order to fit in with the other snooty purebloods around her, but she saw this as an opportunity. If she befriended this girl, she would have friends in various places, which meant she would be more popular and well known. The importance of expanding social circles was something Alex’s mother had engrained in her mind after all. Also, Honey is a pureblood, so it couldn’t be too bad of a thing.

After weighing her options for some time, Alex finally smiled and said “All right Honey Baird. Let’s be friends,” as though the decision of their friendship was entirely up to her.

0 Alex If you are unique, what does that make me? 0 Alex 0 5

Wendy

September 01, 2012 5:31 PM

We can do both together! by Wendy

OOC: It's all good!

Flying was magical. Well, it would be more magical if she could do more than just hover. The broomstick was awfully cushiony and she wondered if it had to do with magic or if the broomstick was just made this way. Either way, it was really cool and really nice to sit on.

As Wendy contemplated on the ways she could get down, someone spoke to her and she turned. The first thing she noticed about this girl were her eyes. One was brown and the other was noticeably green. It was kind of weird, but cool at the same time. Wendy had hazel eyes which meant they sometimes changed color, usually from brownish to green or a mix of both, but her eyes were always the same on both sides. She had never met someone with different-colored eyes. And she had an accent!

In response to the girl's question, she shrugged unhelpfully. "I have no idea. Last time I just fell off." She smiled sheepishly. "I'd be kind of afraid to do that from this height, though." She looked down at the ground that seemed to be slowly falling away. "Erm, I'll be good up here for now." She looked at the other girl. "What's your name? I'm Wendy. Wendy Canterbury. Are you a witch? Or I mean, did you ever grow up with magic?" She really wanted to learn all about the purebloods that Waverly always talked about. Her older sister had a lot of friends that were purebloods, but Wendy had no idea what that really meant.

Being an Arizona girl through and through, she was used to the sun that was starting to beat on her back a little. The robes were thin enough that it was comfortable, but wearing it over her regular clothes made things kind of hot. Well, after camping in the desert, she was used to any sort of heat nature sent her. It was almost comforting because it reminded her of home. Sonora, thankfully, wasn't too far from home. If Waverly wasn't here, Wendy knew she would've been really homesick.

0 Wendy We can do both together! 0 Wendy 0 5

Clarissa Clark

September 01, 2012 7:47 PM

It's strange but nice to do something as a team. by Clarissa Clark

Clarissa remained in the air, unmoving. She still wasn't entirely sure how she had caused the broom to rise to this point, but she knew that she had caused it, and for now that made her deliriously happy. Best not try to move forwards or anything though, just in case.

The coach had suggested that they command their brooms like dogs, or elves. The latter she really couldn't comprehend, so Clarissa was forced to focus on the former. Clarissa had never had a dog, so didn't really know how to treat them. Her status as pet owner was still unearner as well, after she had forgotten to feed her pet rat Ruby that she brought to Sonora as a companion, and it had joined in to the welcome feat as a result. Today Ruby had been left in Clarissa's dormitory, lest she in any way distract Clariisa from flying...for example by deciding to emerge at an inopprtune moment and leap through the air at anyone.

The blonde girl, Wendy, didn't seem to knwo what to do either, but she was calm and this helped Clarissa to become calm too. Clarissa wasn't familiar with some of the many ways that people could help one another, but she had learned recently that this was definitely one of them. She had always been a loner, but she realised that it would be better to be unsure and jovial with this girl than flying majestically through the air on her own. Clarissa still couldn't quite believe that she was sitting astride a piece of wood, even a magical piece of wood, but she was starting to have to believe a lot.

"I didn't grow up with magic" said Clarissa, hoping this wasn't a disappointment. It seemed most people here had. "I...my Dad is n...well he's a muggle." It seemed strange to say this word, but she realised that it was the done thing and decided to go with it. "I never knew my mum becasue she dies when I was small. So I grew up without magic...but sometimes I would be walking home, and then before I knew it I was on the other side of London. That's where I'm from, London. But we live in America now." Oh no, this way way too much information.

"Anyway," Clarissa continued, "it was like I everything would shift and I would suddenly be in a different place. My Dad used to really worry because no one believed me that it was happening, they thought I just wandered off because I wanted to or get attention I guess. But that's not proper magic, I didn't do it on purpose! It would be great to just choose where you wanted to be and go there. But I don't know anything, I've never been on a broom before or done spells. But I'm up here so...That's pretty cool!"

Clarissa felt that she had overshared more than a little, especially considering that she didn't usually speak at all. Perhaps she needed practice. At least she hadn't mentioned her suspicions about her mother and magic - suspecions that neither she or her Dad had mentioned when she was invited to study at Sonora, but that she knew they both had.

"Anyway, enough about me" Clarissa ventured. "How about you?"

0 Clarissa Clark It's strange but nice to do something as a team. 1486 Clarissa Clark 0 5

Wendy

September 02, 2012 2:49 PM

Definitely! by Wendy

Finding out that Clarrisa hadn't grown up with magic either made Wendy swell with delight. She had someone to relate to! As much fun as meeting magical people, well, purebloods, would be, it was nice to have a friendly face. Or at least someone who understood how it was growing up in the regular, er, "muggle" world, as Waverly had told her to say. The word "muggle" just sounded weird on Wendy's tongue.

Of course, Wendy guessed that they could only relate to an extent since they were both from different countries. It was crazy to hear about Clarissa's experiences in finding out that she was magical. Wendy hadn't had any sign of magic in her until she was nine and a half and she had wanted a cupcake so badly from her mom's bakery. And then it had come to her, surprising her and also making her scream with delight.

The fact that Clarissa hadn't known her mother made Wendy sad. She couldnt' imagine life without her own mom who ran a bakery in Phoenix and had the coolest Southern accent when she was really happy. But because Clarissa hadn't known her mother, maybe that meant her mother was magical! "Maybe your mom was magical," she said brightly. "That would be so cool. Then you'd be a half-blood! That's what my older sister says, anyway. I don't really get all the blood stuff." She shrugged.

"Anyway, I didn't grow up with magic either. My older sister, who goes here, found out first. Both of my parents are muggles too. I only found out I was magical when I was nine-and-a-half. I didn't really teleport anywhere, but I could get cupcakes and stuff from my mom's bakery. I just really wished I could have it, and then it came to me! It was really cool. I'm from Phoenix, here in Arizona, so I live kind of close by, I guess. My sister used to tell me all the stories about flying and stuff and I was always so jealous. But now I can do it on my own!"

In her excitement, Wendy flung her arms up and almost toppled off. "Whoa!" She righted herself quickly, but her hands held onto the broomstick tightly. "I sure don't want to fall off." As she righted herself, she inadvertently tilted the broomstick downwards, and suddenly the broom started descending. "Hey!" Wendy blinked in surprise, and suddenly the ground was much closer than it had been.

"Hey!" she yelled up to Clarissa happily, "I found out how to get down! Just push down on your broomstick!" Wendy smiled happily, glad that she was learning how to control her broom. She raised it and the broom started to ascend. "This is so cool!" she squeaked.

0 Wendy Definitely! 0 Wendy 0 5

Henry Carey, Crotalus

September 02, 2012 8:17 PM

If you say so by Henry Carey, Crotalus

As soon as he stepped out from between the stadium stands and onto the green, Henry started to feel a little dizzy, but he pushed his glasses up his nose resolutely and made himself keep walking. One foot in front of the other, even as the walls receded too far away and the distance between him and where he was supposed to be gave every appearance of never shrinking. That was the thing he was concentrating on. Not the open space, or the woman directing the class, or the prospect of being high in the air. Just on putting one foot in front of the other.

He felt as though he weren’t getting quite enough air by the time he got to the middle of the Pitch, but he made it, and carefully took a spot not next to the one Anthony was already enthusiastically occupying. Henry liked Anthony better than he did some of his own siblings, but his cousin was too enthusiastic for him to want to deal with right now, at least when he didn’t have to. The thing, the one thing, which had made him anything like happy about coming to school was how here, there would be so many more times when he could just be around people when he felt like it – walk away when he wanted, avoid people altogether when he wanted, spend much less time blank-faced, silently enduring people. He could go to a room he didn’t have to share with anybody, where there was his bed, and his books, and silence.

Of course it wouldn’t be perfect. Right now, for instance, he wanted to be there instead of here, and yet, here he was. Requirements. They never went away. He had to be here until he didn’t, and then maybe he could go sit down for a while, in a space that was a decent size for human habitation instead of…this.

He tried to listen as Miss Pierce spoke, but the most he really picked up was his own name, the vague feeling that both of those twins had answered to the same name even though he knew that couldn’t be right, and – most importantly – that the students who already knew how to fly wouldn’t have to go through the class exercises, an announcement that, a moment after he heard it and thought about it for a second, cheered him up enough that the closest thing to a smile he’d had on since he arrived at Sonora appeared. So, then. He wouldn’t have to be with people all class after all. He could go off to some quiet bit of the Pitch, and then no one would notice him at all. He would still be out here, still in the air, but he could stay low if he liked, and he could stay near the stands, where it didn't feel so huge.

Not perfect, but better. It was enough that when the boy standing next to him made a comment about girls, Henry was, after the initial moment of surprise, okay with being spoken to. “Because she says so,” he said, tilting his head toward the Coach a little. “There doesn't really have to be another reason with adults, does there?”

0 Henry Carey, Crotalus If you say so 0 Henry Carey, Crotalus 0 5

Amity

September 03, 2012 4:00 AM

True. This one is considered improper. by Amity

"Pleasure to meet you too, Miss Raines." Amity replied. It occurred to her, of course, that Isabel was a proper acquaintance to make, but then it was pretty hard to go wrong in this year. There were a few unfamiliar names though the name Canterbury was familiar because Arabella roomed with the girl's older sister and the Thorntons seemed to have one in every year but seventh according to her cousins.

They'd also, to many's disgust, been invited to Uncle Seth and Aunt Lilac's wedding. Amity quite frankly wondered why they had even wanted to go in the first place, given how out of place they had been. Why would someone want to go where they really didn't belong? Another reason she was glad that most of her class was her own sort. It wasn't as if Amity wouldn't be polite to others-a lady was always polite outwardly, no matter what their true feelings-but she felt she'd have more in common with her own social class.

"You'll forgive me for not curtseying. It's rather difficult to do so sitting on a broom." Amity stated. It seemed so far that curtseying and bowing didn't seem to work in most settings at Sonora. One tended to be sitting when they met others. The Aladren hadn't done so with Anthony either at the feast, and in normal situations she would have. However, Amity would have felt rather silly either getting up from the table or off the broom to do so.

Besides, she didn't think Coach Pierce would understand her doing the latter in favor of practicing good manners. There was likely a reason that she had been disowned and it wasn't hard to figure out that that reason likely had to do with Quidditch, not to mention rumors of the Coach being a lesbian, given that she wasn't married at her age. Granted, there were other pureblood women who married late, such as Aunt Lilac, who wasn't the most proper example either according to Mother, because she had actually worked .

Which quite frankly, Amity could not for the life of her understand why any woman would want to do. Or any man either but that was different, they worked to keep the family fortune up, even when they were well off enough not to have to. Women, on the other hand, did not and it made Amity rather glad to be female. Work would take up way too much of the free time that she wanted so desperately.

Though the Aladren was a bit surprised when Isabel expressed her distaste for flying out loud, she wasn't all that much so by the sentiment. Respectable pureblood girls did not fly. It was almost universally considered distasteful for them to do so though she personally wasn't all that upset by having to sit on a broom thus far. "Don't worry," Amity said by way of comforting Isabel. "It's unlikely that you'll ever have to do this again."

11 Amity True. This one is considered improper. 233 Amity 0 5

Isabel

September 04, 2012 1:22 PM

And it requires good balance by Isabel

“Of course,” Isabel said when Amity explained her failure to curtsy. She was almost relieved by that, since it freed her of the obligation to try. It would, she thought, have been easy enough to hold her skirt out on either side and bow slightly, but she was afraid she’d fall off her sideways perch if she did. Landing flat on her face on the ground would not be very ladylike, would be improper enough to probably cancel out any advantages she got by trying to curtsy on a broom, so it was just better not to even deal too much with the idea of going through some of the formalities on a broom.

She smiled when Amity assured her she wouldn’t have to do this again. “Not after this year, anyway,” she said. “Though I suppose I’ll stop feeling like I’m going to fall off just about then, don’t you think?” She looked off toward her cousin, who was apparently organizing – or trying to – a game with a group of other boys. “Boys are luckier,” she said. “It looks much easier to stay on, the way they do it.”

Or at least much easier to steer. She could feel she was starting to get her balance, but how she could do more than go in two directions, much less make any turns that became necessary, was something she had yet to figure out from her sidesaddle position. She hoped that just being in the air really was enough to let her make her pass for the day, because she was afraid to try to move much further, as she was, because she might crash straight into someone and hurt them and then be known forever as the person who did that on their very first day of school.

Last night and today were, after all, the most important days of her life, at least according to her sister. Listening to Catherine talk, it seemed that everything about her year had been decided on that first morning, and then that had laid the groundwork for everything that happened to all of them afterward, from Catherine making a good marriage to Gwen Carey getting disowned and running off with a Muggleborn, and maybe even Anne Wright becoming a social climber, though that part seemed more loosely attached to the rest of it. The only thing her sister didn’t – very – regularly address when she reminisced about school was how Nicoletta and Jordanna had left proper society; Isabel had asked her once how that happened, but Catherine had seemed not to hear the question.

She straightened fully and smiled at Miss Brockert. “I see you’re in Aladren House,” she said. “How do you like it there?” Isabel had never really considered that she might go anywhere other than Crotalus, but she’d gotten drawn into the Houses talk with Alan often enough that she was curious about what they were like, now that they were all permanently off the table as options for her.

0 Isabel And it requires good balance 0 Isabel 0 5

Amity

September 05, 2012 1:06 PM

Allegedly, balance is important. by Amity

Amity laughed. Not a rude sound, but the way a lady should when something struck her as amusing. Yes, she'd even had lessons on the proper way to do that . Her mother would not have her make any mistakes and sound any less than ideal. They might not be as high up on the family totem pole as others but Jillian Brockert was going to make her daughters be a credit to their family name one way or another. Probably because, well, they weren't as high up on the family totem pole.

"It does tend to go that way." She agreed. Not that Amity ever got to that point really because things for her just didn't stop. Ever. If she got comfortable with a skill her mother didn't tell her that was enough and she could rest. Instead, she had to refine the skill further or learn a new one. Relaxation was something Amity only dreamed of.

Her gaze went to where the boys were. "I suppose so." And there were cushioning charms to prevent the issue boys might have with the way they sat. "I mean, it's not like it's something we'll ever have to worry about. It seems to be one of my family's fundamental beliefs that not only do girls not fly, but nobody really needs to for transportation purposes what with floo powder and portkeys and eventually Apparation when we get old enough. Some of those methods cause discomfort too, but they're all a lot quicker."

Quite honestly, Amity didn't understand why nobody ever had come up with a comfortable, practical form of transportation. Flooing wasn't too dreadful but it did make one awfully dirty. Mother made them wear coverings over their nice clothing when they used it. Maybe nobody had devised a way because Apparation was the fastest possible way for a witch or wizard to travel.

"I'm not really sure yet. I mean, I don't know my roommates very well yet." Bianca, at least, was someone she felt it would be acceptable for her to associate with. Clarissa, on the other hand, seemed not to be from the right sort of family, Amity had never heard of the Clarks before. She doubted she and Clarissa had much in common. "I met Anthony Carey at the feast though and he seems pleasant enough.I think it's just the four of us."

The Aladren paused, remembering the conversation with Anthony. She'd gotten permission to use his first name after she'd given hers. That was really what she preferred, though Isabel's last name provided fewer painful associations than her housemate's had. "You may call me Amity if you wish." She added. They were social equals after all.

"How is Crotalus?" The first year asked, returning the question. "From my understanding, it's mostly pureblood, but the hardest to pin down for what sort of personality goes there. There's a wide range." Aladrens were smart, Teppenpaws were nice and Pecaris were...improper. What were Crotali? Her cousins were very very very different people and both in the house. Isabel didn't seem to necessarily be like either.

11 Amity Allegedly, balance is important. 233 Amity 0 5

Annabelle Pierce

September 05, 2012 1:57 PM

There is nothing positive about this situation by Annabelle Pierce

It had, of course, occurred to the twins that they may have to introduce themselves individually while they were acting out this false fight. It had been decided with full agreement on both sides that the one flying should, without exception, state her name merely as Ann Pierce, or even just Ann if possible. The one being proper, however, they had eventually decided should just say they were Miss Pierce of the New Hamphire Pierces. Unfortunately, there were two unforseen complications to that plan. The first was that the way Miss Arbon phrased her question made it impossible to use that strategy. The second was that frequent practice and repetition of their formal introduction had succeeded in making it habitual.

Annabelle waited a beat for her sister to answer the question, but of course, Annette did no such thing, seeing as how she wasn't there. After that momentary pause, she picked up the slack, curtseying and answering as they had been trained, "We are Annabelle and Annette Pierce," again she paused, waithing for her sister to give their family branch, but again, where her sister's voice should had picked up, there was nothing. Annette had let her speak first before, but never had she had to give both parts, so she turned to where Annette should be and was honestly surprised to not find her there, even though she knew Annette was in the sky above them.

Frowning and still feeling out of sorts and confused, Annabelle shook her head and apologized, "I am most sorry, Miss Arbon. I am not accustomed to introducing myself alone. However, I am hopeful that I may yet get my sister to see reason and follow custom. She has merely allowed her sorting into Pecari to go to her head. I wish to protect her name until she has had more time to realize the rashness of this terrible decision today."

Looking down at her unresponsive broom again, she held her hand over it as Duesius had shown them the first time they convinced their simple minded cousin that he should teach them how to fly. "Up!" she ordered as she had done dozens, if not hundreds, of times since then.

The school broom might have given the faintest of spins but remained stubbornly on the ground, completely uncaring of the fact that she really could do this. Frustrated and annoyed that she was failing at the very simplest of magical workings, she crossed her arms and succeeded after a monumental battle against her temper not to scowl or kick the thing. No doubt Miss Arbon could guess that she had dearly wanted to, but Annabelle could only hope that it counted for something that she hadn't.

"Should I ask for a different one?" she asked, not sure quite how to deal with this unexpected circumstance. "Mother told us not to draw the Deputy Headmistress's attention."

1 Annabelle Pierce There is nothing positive about this situation 246 Annabelle Pierce 0 5

Annette Pierce

September 05, 2012 3:26 PM

Call me Ann by Annette Pierce

Annette Pierce was nervous. Always before, she and her sister had taken great pains to appear to be everything their mother wanted them to be. They had always been attentive in their studies, clean and appropriately dressed, well behaved among adults, and always so very carefully proper. Even with Thad and Derry, they had performed admirably, as Mother or one of the other adults would either be watching directly or asking questions later. They were completely sure nobody on the mountain except Father thought they were anything other than the perfect clones Mother had painstakingly crafted. Appearing perfect was mandatory. Being perfect was merely optional, and utterly dull. As long as they never got caught at it, they could still have fun.

Unsurprisingly, they had turned brown during their sorting. Pecari was the House of the adaptable and the adventurous.

Today was different though. Never before had they disobeyed their Mother's directives so blatantly or so publically. There would be no doubt that an infraction had been made. Their only chance of maintaining their position in the family - because this was, absolutely, the greatest crime their mother could imagine, and almost certainly a disownable offense - was to not let anyone know which twin had done it. It was absolutely critical that everyone believed one of them was still perfect. She stood as the shield against them both getting sent to Boston.

Today, that job fell to Annabelle. Annette was going to be the bad twin. She grabbed a broom and took off, trying hard to remember that Annabelle didn't believe the things she was saying. Still, she was glad when she got far enough away that she couldn't hear her sister anymore.

She looked around and saw a group of boys forming around a Quaffle and was struck by a rare case of uncertainty. Shyness was not something either twin normally suffered from but right now she was doing something that was very definitely wrong and she didn't even have Annabelle to back her up. She just couldn't quite work up the nerve to join the group.

Instead, she slowed to a hover near a pair of boys that seemed slighly less intimidating given that there were only two of them and they hadn't lifted up into the air yet.

Still feeling like she was intruding where she didn't belong and wasn't welcome, she asked a bit more hesitantly than she would have liked, "May I join you?"

1 Annette Pierce Call me Ann 247 Annette Pierce 0 5

Effie Arbon

September 06, 2012 3:03 PM

I'm inclined to agree... by Effie Arbon

The Proper Pierce seemed to struggle with the rather simple question of giving her name, eventually blaming her hesitation on not being used to speaking without her sister. Effie herself was finding it an oddity not to have two versions of herself in miniature following her around. She and her sisters had a strong resemblance to each other, all being made of wide eyes and pale colouring. Delphine was only eleven months younger than her, and thus Effie had no memories of a time when there had not been at least two of them. Having, and then suddenly not having, a twin must have been a disorienting experience. However, The Proper Miss Pierce also confessed to wanting to protect The Other Miss Pierce, attempting to blame the sudden reckless behaviour on the sorting into Pecari. Effie had heard that the house was somewhat less decorous than Crotalus but Isabel had openly claimed ownership of a cousin within it, so she did not think it was such a lawless and depraved wasteland that it could turn the head of a proper young lady in the space of one evening. It was peculiar too that out of two girls, born identical and raised identically, that one should be affected by the tainted air of Pecari and the other not. It was entirely possible that The Other Miss Pierce was mentally unsound. It did to be charitable to such people and not hold their infirmities against them but she was surprised that the Pierces let her out if her disorder was likely to result in shameful behaviour. She supposed This Miss Pierce would have to bring her into line or else she would be returned home, or possibly to a secure place where she could be looked after.

“It is quite an overwhelming experience,” she nodded to This Miss Pierce. She did not sound fully convinced but she was not challenging This Miss Pierce's assessment of things, which was enough that her remarks could not be rebuked. The fact that the Miss Pierces, collectively, were demonstrating improper behaviour made her anxious at being around half of them, even if it was the half that was behaving well. The worry was heightened by the fact that This Miss Pierce seemed determined to protect the wayward Pierce. If it proved that the Other Miss Pierce had had full command of her faculties when abandoning propriety it would look awfully bad if people thought that Effie was friendly with them. People, in their most basic state, had already presented her with more confusion than she had anticipated. The last thing she needed was a delicate situation in her hands.

“It could be,” Effie agreed politely, when This Miss Pierce pondered the possibility that her broom was defective, “Although, perhaps before engaging with people you would prefer not to, you might try entertaining the possibility that perhaps you are feeling more than a usual reluctance towards flying currently. Let me reassure you that I am certain no one would hold properly participating in the lesson against your character. See, Miss Raines and I are already airborne,” she nodded to where her roommate was hovering. “Perhaps if we formed a little riding party together it would cheer your spirits - I say, Isabel,” she called. Her roommate was not far away and she did not have to raise her voice above an appropriate level to catch the other girl's attention. She could also drift a few yards closer without it seeming like she was deserting This Miss Pierce, and happily did so, glad to be bringing some much needed support into the situation, “I thought it might be pleasant for us to form a small party,” she explained, “in order to make the best of a bad situation,” she didn't feel the need to explain that the class at hand was said unpleasant situation, as both Isabel and the girl with her looked less than comfortable at being on broomsticks.

“Good morning,” she smiled to the companion. She thought she recognised the girl from the society pages and, if Isabel was with her, it boded relatively well. She took one side of her skirt with one hand, keeping the other on the broom, bowing her head and bobbing the broom very slightly down as she had done with This Miss Pierce. “I am Effie Arbon.”

OOC - I suggest we join them. Less scrolling than asking them to come to us.

13 Effie Arbon I'm inclined to agree... 238 Effie Arbon 0 5

Effie Arbon

September 06, 2012 3:04 PM

OOC by Effie Arbon

I have tied mine and Miss Pierce's thread into this one, with the suggestion that we continue things up here where you are. Apologies for the inconvenience but, to put it bluntly, she creeps the heck out of me, and I don't want to be alone with her.

13 Effie Arbon OOC 238 Effie Arbon 0 5

Enion

September 06, 2012 4:35 PM

Uh...sure, I’m Enion...you can just call me that, mk? by Enion

Enion laughed. “Too true.” He said agreeably. “I’m Enion Whitebriar of House Blackbriar.” Enion introduced with an almost absent minded smile as his soft grey eyes gave the sky a hungry look. The Coach had nearly finished up her instructions and he was eager to touch the blue. Even though the class was taught by a girl, which Enion knew was completely scandalous, it was still going to be his favorite class ever. I bet that’s why she was disowned he thought, remembering that she used to be part of the important Pierce family.

He didn’t really keep track of all that stuff, but he did know the families that he was supposed to try and befriend. After all, the whole point of grandfather sending them here instead of Hogwards was to expand their connections into America. The older sibs of the lines had all made proper connections with the other old families that attended Hogwarts, now it was their turn to forge new ground so to speak. It was an important task, Enion knew, but he always had a hard time keeping track of who was who in the magical world. Even worse, now he was thrown into a world of all new families and lines. So, mostly he’d just go with the flow. Let Gareth worry about who they should befriend, and Enion would live in the moment.

And right now was the time for flying! “You coming?” Enion said with a grin as he mounted. Before he could take off one of the girls appeared. He looked her over, noticing that she didn’t look totally inept on a broom and grinned. “Sure, if you think you can keep up.” He said with a taunting grin. “I’m Enion Whitebriar of House Blackbriar.” Lifting off he reached out and poked her in the ribs. “And you’re...It!” he laughed as he darted away, glancing back to see if she was giving chase or not.

0 Enion Uh...sure, I’m Enion...you can just call me that, mk? 0 Enion 0 5

Eponine Taylor

September 07, 2012 5:02 AM

This is great! by Eponine Taylor

As soon as Eponine asked Coach Pierce her extra-training question, one student fell off her broom, while a girl by the name of Clara completely lost control of her own. She flew across the field wildly, but before Eponine even comprehended the scene before her, Coach Pierce had sprung into action. She ordered, "Down!" to warn any that stood in Clara's path. The older woman quickly cast two spells that had no meaning to Eponine, and Clara suddenly tensed up. Eponine watched in awe as the young student seemed to freeze solid, stiff and straight as a board. She immediately fell off her broom, and the air around her seemed to break her fall and cushion the ground.

As Coach Pierce dealt with the crisis, Eponine took the time to doodle about on her broom, never going very fast for fear of losing control herself. Still, she felt herself gain speed and zipped around, practicing turning around fast. When she saw Clara and another start walking towards the main building, however, Eponine almost fell off her broom. She glided back to where her and the Coach had been talking before. "I'm sorry about that. Thank you for being patient," Coach Pierce started. Eponine just smiled. She knew that if she accidentally hurt herself, she'd want to have the Coach's helpful attention.

Then, Coach Pierce got right to the point. "I believe first years don't have any classes at three o'clock on Tuesdays or Thursdays, so if you want to meet then, we can start going over some more Quidditch related flying skills."

Eponine felt herself grin before she could respond. Private Quidditch lessons! That was exactly what she needed to get in league and onto the same level as those who had been flying since childhood. Heart soaring and incredibly grateful, Eponine barely heard her superior ask, "Would you be interested in doing that?"

Eponine nodded enthusiastically, stating, "Yes, please, that sounds wonderful! Thank you so much for the opportunity!" Thinking over her schedule, Eponine added, "Tuesdays would work great for me!" She knew that she would have to work really hard, but unless she completely lost interest in Quidditch (which Eponine was sure to be impossible), she'd have loads of passion for the sport. The young student already knew that she would not get involved in any activity and not put her heart and soul into its success. That mentality was hard-wired into her genes.

0 Eponine Taylor This is great! 0 Eponine Taylor 0 5

Isabel

September 07, 2012 1:24 PM

Welcoming Miss Arbon and Miss Pierce by Isabel

Her family’s fundamental beliefs about transportation were things Isabel had never really thought about. Her parents’ social circle was mostly in the area – Illinois, according to her lessons, hosted one of the largest magical populations in the country, both pureblood and otherwise, so her parents often used the carriage, as they didn’t have to travel far to go to events, but she had also seen them Apparate for casual visits, and there was the bus, though they didn’t use that, she’d just been taught about it so she could get home if she ever somehow got separated from her guardians in town or something like that, and of course there was the Floo…Isabel supposed she had heard her mother and her father complain about how messy that was, but still. Transportation just seemed to be a thing that the Raines family, as far as she knew, did not feel as strongly about as Miss Brockert seemed to think her family did. Isabel wasn’t sure if that was good or not.

“They are much quicker,” she agreed, since that point was impossible to argue with. “And there’s much less of a risk of being Seen.”

Being Seen was something she knew her family did have strong beliefs about. It wasn’t very likely, but nor was it impossible, especially when they went into town or if a Muggle went mad and somehow wandered through the repelling charms around someone’s home, and it was one of the very worst things that could happen. Living in a city, there was always an uneasy line between them and the Muggles, always a chance that they could somehow be Seen, and if they were, then something horrible would happen. Maria Teresa had told her stories about what happened to magical children the Muggles found when she was little, and some of them had upset her enough that Mamma had had to tell her nurse to stop it, so that now Isabel didn’t remember what the stories had been, but she knew they had been awful.

The first thing Isabel thought of when she heard the name ‘Carey’ was of the one person she thought her sister might dislike more than she did her best friend’s husband, but she recognized the name that Miss Brockert mentioned, too, from the names she’d been told might be good to associate with before she came to school. She smiled when Miss Brockert said she might use her given name. “And you may call me Isabel,” she said.

So far, Isabel thought she was doing well at school. She bit her lower lip, though, from habit when she was asked about Crotalus. “I think we’re mostly nice people,” she said, though she wasn’t in fact sure of this at all. “I don’t think Miss Thornton is…like us, though,” she added in an undertone, then flushed and went on. “And I think we only have one boy, too, the other Mr. Carey, but I haven’t met him – “

Just then, she heard her name and turned to see Effie and – one of the Pierce twins, she remembered them, but hadn’t met them long enough to learn to tell them apart, which was embarrassing. They’d both said they were Annabelle during the roll call, but this one was behaving properly, so maybe she was the real Annabelle. The other one just flying might not have been so bad, but now she was playing tag with boys, and that was only okay in private, not in public like this. Of course, it would have been easier for her, now that Effie was proposing they all get together, if it was Annette, since their names didn’t end with the same sound, but….

“Of course,” she said happily, smiling at them both. “Shall we meet in the middle?” If Effie had managed to fly a little way, then she could, too, and it would be diplomatic that way, she thought. If she was right about what that word meant, anyway.

She felt inadequate again as Effie succeeded in curtsying to Amity on a broom, but smiled at Annabelle-or-Annette and tried to ignore it. “Hello,” she said, making a much smaller and wobblier mock-up of a curtsy than Effie had. “I think we’ve met before – I’m Isabel Raines?” Of course she knew that she was Isabel Raines, that was something she felt very sure about, and realized as soon as she said it that she’d said it all wrong, but she didn’t know if she was remembered or not. That had been her very first party, so she remembered the first people she had talked to at it even if she didn’t remember everything they had all said then, but for all she knew that was so normal for them, and had been such a long time ago, that they didn’t remember her at all, so it would be presumptuous for her to not show some introductory formalities. She thought.

0 Isabel Welcoming Miss Arbon and Miss Pierce 0 Isabel 0 5

Henry

September 07, 2012 6:07 PM

This should be interesting.... by Henry

Henry felt himself starting to frown at the mention of actually going about flying, but stopped halfway through and nodded instead. It had to be done; he was required to play on the Quidditch team, so he had to go on and get over this nonsense. He was going to be on a broom, not just hanging in midair, and doing that very suddenly, without warning, seconds before he nearly hit the ground; it was perfectly safe. He knew that. It was a fact.

“I suppose so,” he said, not even attempting to match Mr. Whitebriar’s enthusiasm about it. Let it be put to House differences; Teppenpaws were supposed to be overenthusiastic, and Crotali less so. If he was stuck here, then he might as well use that to his advantage, if possible, and Arthur, he knew, would say that almost anything could be somehow turned to your advantage if you were smart enough to know how. Henry liked to think that he was smart. He worked harder than any two of his siblings put together, anyway, the stupid, loud, lazy, stupid –

He was just picturing the white wall in his head when, surprising enough to distract him from that and his siblings and Mr. Whitebriar and even where he was for a second, a girl flew up to them. One of those twins; as the only pair in the year, they stood out. Now there was only one of them, though.

“That is most improper,” he objected, but didn’t even pay too much attention to himself, as he was busy moving when Enion suddenly moved forward with his hand outstretched. He poked the girl, not Henry, which Henry thought was best for everyone, even though he realized why he’d done that a moment later.

He had played tag before, at home with his family, of course, though this was different because Aunt Lorraine had banned them from using brooms during it because of Brandon’s idea of fun and the fact that, when placed on a broom and given a simple goal, Arnold had a tendency not to notice things in his way until he’d already hit them. He doubted a girl could keep up anyway, girls weren’t supposed to learn how to fly and even Theresa, who didn’t care about things at home the way she should have, wasn’t very good at it, but the game was to get away –

He closed his eyes for a second as he, too, started to fly away, once he was sure there was no one immediately in front of him and that he and Enion weren’t going in the same direction. He remembered one time Grandfather had explained to them how it was bad strategy to go in the same direction when people were playing tag, because it made them easier to catch; if they all scattered, and then didn’t keep going in the same direction, then they would do a better job of not being caught. Of course, changing direction involved opening his eyes, so he did so, just in time to swerve around someone else without it being glaringly obvious he’d almost not done so –

He was squinting against the wind behind his glasses and mildly concerned about his heart as he kept going in the new direction. This, too, was different; there weren’t usually people at home around who were neither adults nor part of the game. He would have to make sure to remember that. He thought the teacher wouldn’t like it if there was a massive pile-up on the very first day of her new class.

0 Henry This should be interesting.... 0 Henry 0 5

Anthony

September 07, 2012 6:09 PM

The more the merrier by Anthony

Anthony had to quickly mask an expression of dismay when Jay decided to introduce himself to the little group forming, and then again when another boy, Rupert, also introduced himself, and then the first boy, Alan, did, too, and they all did so in the formal style. He knew he ought to as well, but he felt awkward throwing around the Eighth when none of them had numerals, and was really enjoying the feeling of being anonymous, of almost no one at the school, compared to the large number of students at the school, knowing that he was the heir and having those expectations of him, holding him at arm’s length because of it. He decided to just hope no one noticed that he wasn’t following suit, since Jay had called him ‘Anthony.’ It was an okay name, as long as it didn’t have an an in front of it.

Luckily, there was the matter of getting enough players together to have a game to worry about – a good distraction from names. Anthony thought the idea of a Beater playing with them was wonderfully exciting, even if it was just one and he wasn’t really on either team, but he could see that Chasers were important to having something to do, too. One person flying toward Jay with a Quaffle wasn’t much of a challenge at all. He looked for Henry, but found him, as was apparently becoming a habit of his now that they were at school, just not there.

“Jay,” he said. “See if you can find Henry, and anyone else around, too,” he said, looking up at his cousin. Henry hadn’t played Quidditch in a while, now that Anthony thought about it, he seemed to be sick a lot when Anthony wanted to, but of course he was going to play at school – just not for the right team, Anthony thought with a pang of disappointment – so he would want to today, too. Besides, Anthony knew he wasn’t sick, he’d spoken to him at breakfast and he’d been completely normal.

This was going to be so much fun. Anthony could just tell it. He looked at Rupert. “Do you know anyone else?” he asked. The more, he reasoned, the merrier, because then they could make it more complicated, more like a real game would be, at least as long as the numbers were close enough to equal.

0 Anthony The more the merrier 0 Anthony 0 5

Jay

September 07, 2012 6:11 PM

Here, I probably agree by Jay

Jay didn’t miss how Anthony didn’t introduce himself when the rest of them did, seeming to think – or maybe hope – that Jay’s mention of his first name earlier would count, but he didn’t call him out on it. For one thing, it always felt subtly wrong, calling Anthony out on anything, and for another thing he thought he knew why his cousin had done it, too. None of the rest of them had numerals, much less one perilously close to having an ‘X’ in it, and Anthony had always liked to pretend he was just another one of the cousins, not the important one, not the heir.

Of course, he would have to, as Jay was assuming he knew, formally introduce himself sometimes even if his numeral wasn’t in the roll call – now that he thought about it, Jay couldn’t remember if it had been used on the roll call or not – but he was clearly thinking that he could play Quidditch without going through the bowing routines, the way they did at home. Well, it might work, it might not, but Jay didn’t see a reason not to play along with him for now. It wasn’t, after all, as though they were adults discussing matters of families and fortunes here. They were just here to play Quidditch, or at least something that sort of looked like it. That didn’t bother him, either; there were six boys in his branch right now, him and Anthony and their two brothers apiece, so they usually did have to come up with new rules just to make the game work. Sometimes, they came up with new rules just for fun, for some variety in the games they were playing.

“It looks like he’s – er – playing tag,” Jay said, spotting his brother taking flight just after Anthony told him to go get Henry. That was a surprise; he was here because they’d all expected Henry to have trouble with the lesson, considering how he felt about heights now. From here, though, he looked okay. “We should probably just get someone else,” he added casually, and Anthony seemed to agree, as he asked Rupert about that.

Well, he shouldn’t be surprised that Anthony had seemed to understand what he was getting at. As little as anyone talked about it, he did know that Anthony had been there the day that everything happened. That wasn’t surprising – Henry and Anthony had been together practically all the time since the rest of them started going to school, even though chronologically, Jay thought he and Anthony were a little closer to being the same age, it was just how their birthdays fell on either side of September – but Jay did feel sorry for his cousin as well as his brother, if not as much, because of it. From what he’d heard, he was sort of glad he’d been here, unaware of anything until he went home for midterm break, after things had started going a little back toward normal.

0 Jay Here, I probably agree 0 Jay 0 5

Rupert

September 08, 2012 2:28 PM

I vote we just start playing by Rupert

Everyone introduced themselves and Rupert was glad to meet a group of blokes who enjoyed Quidditch as much as he did. He was a little disappointed that he wouldn't be able to be the beater, but being a Chaser wasn't too terrible either. There were four of them which meant the teams would be uneven unless there were two Keepers and two Chasers. Then it would be a one-on-one match. This was slowly going downhill in Rup's mind.

"Nice to meet you all," he said, nodding to them. They seemed like the right, boring sort of pure-bloods Rupert was used to being surrounded by. There were a couple 'bad apples' in the family, of course, but they rarely came around the manor. Living with the family's patriarch was very limiting in Rup's opinion.

When Anthony asked if he knew anyone else, Rupert shook his head. "I don't know anyone here except you fellows now. And a couple girls, but I hardly think that they'd be willing to play." In all honesty, he didn't really want girls to play Quidditch with them. They were unnecessarily squeamish when it came to bludgers and the like.

"If worse comes to worst, we can always just toss the quaffle back and forth," he suggested. "Or we can race?" Racing sounded like more fun than tossing a quaffle, but if his mates weren't willing to go along, he'd drop it. Rupert, being the younger brother of the Princeton heir, was used to being a follower in informal Quidditch matches and such. His older brother usually took the lead in everything, especially when it came to playing games, because it was expected of him. It was part of the reason why Rupert wanted to stay as far away from him as possible while he was at Sonora.

0 Rupert I vote we just start playing 0 Rupert 0 5

McKinley Andrews

September 11, 2012 2:48 PM

This is NOT mine... (Tag: Coach/Carter) by McKinley Andrews

McKinley Andrews wanted absolutely nothing to do with going to any of her classes where there was a possibility she’d get dirty. This class, Flying Class, was bound to be one of those classes she had decided on having nothing to do with. She’d never so much as touched a broomstick in all her life, not to fly on, and certainly not to sweep with. She was a pureblood young lady and anyone who’d wanted to make her do something of either kind had been told off by Father or one of her brothers.

However, this time none of them were there with her and she was forced into doing something that could have the potential to be icky and dirty, which was not okay with her. If she had to go to this class and stand on the Quidditch Pitch (whatever that was), she was going to try to do it with Carter. She wasn’t happy about the situation at hand, but there was nothing she could do about it. At least with Carter she felt a little better.

Her teacher welcomed them and explained what would be happening, called the roll (for which she’d raised her hand delicately when her name was mentioned). More names were called and once that was completed, the more experienced flyers were sent off and Coach Pierce focused on the new flyers. McKinley, herself, would never consider herself a beginner at anything, as she was the best there was, and she knew that. However, she was a new flyer, she’d never disagree with that. She didn’t want to touch that dirty broom, and there was nothing in the world but being told she must by an adult that would make her do such an icky thing. I wish I’d have taken mother up on her offer of those white silk gloves… she thought, before changing her mind on that. They’d get dirty! Heaven forbid that happen! she added to herself as Coach Pierce spoke, handing out the brooms.

Kinley made her way towards Carter as their teacher droned on and on about stuff that meant nothing to the first year Crotalus girl. She knew Carter was excited about it by the look on his face, however. She’d not steal his happiness, but she wanted to just tell him all about how icky this could be. It was taking all of her energy to NOT say anything to her excited cousin. Kinley knew that Carter knew how to fly and she hoped he wouldn’t go off with the other flyers and leave her alone. Unfortunately, that was just what he did.

McKinley scrunched her face up, and glanced towards him, hoping he’d see her face. He went off, tossing some red ball up into the air to himself. “You would…” she said softly as she shook her head and turned back to Coach Pierce who’d seemingly started to explain to them what to do with the broom she’d handed to each of them. Once the broom handle was in her hand, Kinley dropped it as fast as it ended up there in the first place. That’s dirty! she thought, in a blind panic about it.

Coach Pierce kept on talking about what to do with the broom. All we have to say is up and the stupid dirty thing moves? she wondered to herself, not understanding how something that had no blood moved at all, not to mention with direction.

Raising her hand high, and with a polite nod when it was her turn, she said, “Professor, I would not like to straddle anything, I’m not sure what this side-saddle is, but perhaps I’d better try that…”

Waiting patiently for an answer from the Professor, and/or some help with whatever this side-saddle thing was, she heard a scream coming from nearby. It was loud and clear and it looked to be coming right towards her. Her eyes opened wide as the girl flying haphazardly on the broom came right at her. Carter was now nearby as well, but the girl was first headed towards her. Kinley screamed herself and ducked, but tripped over her broom handle and landed face first in the dirt and grasses of the pitch. “Oooof!” came from her lips as her chest hit ground. Once she realized where she was at, her heart pounded and her staple phrase echoed around her. “Eeew, icky… eeew…”

0 McKinley Andrews This is NOT mine... (Tag: Coach/Carter) 0 McKinley Andrews 0 5

Clarissa Clark

September 13, 2012 11:54 AM

And we're still not in the hopsital wing - bonus! by Clarissa Clark

It felt strange to hear Wendy suggest that Clarissa's mum might have been magical, but also a relief to hear it out loud and in such a light hearted way. Clarissa wondered briefly whether Wendy was just naturally skilled at reading people, or whether it really was that obvious. A half blood...it sounded like she would be really pale and empty. Not that it seemed to matter. The full bloods or whatever they were called seemed a lot like everyone else, if a little more arrogant. Perhaps it was genetic?

It was great as well to hear that someone else didn't really get it...and perhaps care about it. Clarissa thought to herself that there were much more important things to care about, for example being up in the air! Learning to make cupcakes appear sounded pretty good as well. There were so many possibilities she hadn't condsidered, and Wendy was so much fun! Maybe if she asked nicely or did something for her she could teach her about the cupcakes.

Clarissa watched quietly as Wendy nearly fell, but regained her balance, and wondered if she would have been close enough to catch her arm. And then she disappeared...but Wendy was still on the broom at least, and had found out how to control the broom, and could go up and down. Great! Clarissa thought that probably a lot of magic kind of happened by accident.

Clarissa copied her, and carefully headed back down to the ground. She put her feet on the grass and realised that she was shaking a little bit with all the excitement. Now that she was not concentrating on her balance so hard she could see exciting things going on with the other students above her head. Proper flying looked so much fun! She started to rise up in the air again, determined to find out what else they could do. "Wendy!" she yelped, "I think we can do it!"

0 Clarissa Clark And we're still not in the hopsital wing - bonus! 1486 Clarissa Clark 0 5

Amity

September 13, 2012 8:43 PM

Greetings by Amity

Amity nodded in understanding. "She isn't." Okay, so that might have been a little blunt but she knew a bit about the Thorntons. "In addition to not being...our sort, the family is a little odd. Her two oldest sisters were always pestering my aunt when she worked here and acting like she was their aunt instead." Amity sort of resented this. They were not part of her family and they never would be. "Furthermore, they're more clannish than any pureblood family I've ever heard of. They were all on the wagon to Sonora with me, but I spent it talking to my cousins Hope and Evan about Sonora."

She realized how that might have sounded hypocritical. "I mean, there really wasn't anyone else on there besides them and us." Amity added. Plus, she had no intention to keeping just to her cousins here at school either. There were so many people here that she felt she could make friends with if roll call was anything to go by. People she felt she could connect with. She didn't need to stick with Arabella or Ryan-or Hope or Evan either.

Of course, that might have been why the Thorntons stuck together, she supposed, fewer of their kind but it still seemed a bit odd to Amity. There was nothing wrong with not being as social and she would do the best she could to make those people, which her roommate Bianca seemed to be, feel included, but sticking with just family was a little strange. The Aladren hoped to Merlin that they didn't see her as family. This one might not have been like her sisters-Ryan, after all, was not like Carrie-but if she was Isabel needed to know what sort of girl she might be rooming with. Just because Amity wasn't a Crotalus didn't mean she couldn't err on the side of caution and Miss Thornton the Sixth was not someone that she was going to seek out.

"I have a roommate who isn't like us as well." The first year went on, nodding in the girl's direction. "Miss Clark. I don't know anything about her family though." Which was, of course, why Amity knew she was at the very least not part of their social class. The Thorntons were only an exception because of the fact that they had so many children and the whole thing with her aunt. The Aladren would be cordial to her roommate but she didn't think they'd have too much in common and it was natural to be drawn to those you had things in common with.

She heard Isabel's name called and looked over along with the other girl. It had come from another one of the Crotalus girls who was with Annabelle Pierce-well, Amity didn't know if it was really Annabelle or if it was the other one. They'd both answered to that name during roll call and it wasn't as if the Aladren knew the other's name-or in fact, if they had different names. That would have been most unfortunate for them. Amity was sure that, while her name wasn't especially common, there were other Amitys in the world. Still, none of them were related to her, let alone her identical twin.

The first year actually did have identical twin cousins too, Scarlett and Savannah, but Uncle Russell and Aunt Melinda had at least given them different names and most of the time treated them like individuals, primarily so they wouldn't get mixed up though now that the twins were old enough to know themselves who was who, Amity's aunt and uncle were more okay with them dressing alike, which they did sometimes but not all the time. As babies though, Aunt Melinda had color coded them.

Maybe these two were different after all though, Amity could see the other Annabelle Pierce playing with two of the boys, one of whom she recognized as Anthony's cousin. That certainly wouldn't make a good impression on anyone and she felt a bit bad for this one because it would reflect poorly on her too. Nobody would be able to tell which was which and if they indeed did share a first name, that would only lead to more confusion. Neither this girl's parents nor her sister had done her any favors.

"And I am Amity Brockert of the Colorado Brockerts." She introduced herself, a bit surprised by the curtsey the other girl-Miss Arbon, she thought-gave them. It was a perfectly proper thing to do but how had she ever managed it? Surely she wasn't accustomed to being on one enough that she would have learned the right way to curtsey on a broom, that wouldn't be at all proper. Ladies didn't fly. However, Amity attempted the curtsey as well, though not much more smoothly than Isabel had.

11 Amity Greetings 233 Amity 0 5

Annabelle Pierce

September 15, 2012 12:20 PM

Hello, Ladies by Annabelle Pierce

Annabelle wasn't sure that Effie was entirely buying the excuse she had made for Annette's behavior, but at least she wasn't insisting that Annabelle give her first name. Remaining anonymous was proving a bit more awkward that they had thought it would be, especially when Effie drew in two more girls who had been hovering nearby into their group. Annabelle wasn't entirely sure having a 'riding group' would really help since she knew quite well that her inability to get her broom up was not because she was subconsciously reluctant to fly. More likely, it would just embarrass her in front of more people when her broom continued to defy her.

Still, there was no polite way to decline after Effie called for their attention and started hovering her broom nearer to them. With a sigh, Annabelle picked up her broom and carried it over. She did have the advantage of being the only one of them with her feet planted firmly on the ground so she was able to execute the most graceful of the curtsies when those were exchanged between them. That was the only positive she could find in being grounded as she was.

Annabelle recognized Isabel from the party a few years ago at the Sinclair's home and, of course, she knew of the Colorado Brockerts. "I recall," she assured Miss Raines, smiling in fond remembrance of her first formal party, curtsying properly toward her. She then directed another to Miss Brockert, "And it is a pleasure to meet you as well, Miss Brockert. I am Miss Pierce of the New Hampshire Pierces."

Her gaze shifted momentarily toward where Annette was apparently playing broom tag now with two boys, then pointedly turned away again. "At the moment, I believe I am the only one of those left," she said, trying to sound like she was trying not to sound bitter.

She held her hand over her wand hand over her broom one more time and ordered, "Up!" but again the broom did little more than shift in place, entirely uncooperative. She sighed in irritation, allowing that much of her frustration to show, but no more. "This isn't working," she admitted, not quite willing to repeat the assertion that the broom was defective since Miss Arbon had suggested the problem was with Annabelle herself and a subconscious refusal to fly wasn't an entirely bad thing to have in this company.

1 Annabelle Pierce Hello, Ladies 246 Annabelle Pierce 0 5

Effie Arbon

September 21, 2012 4:35 PM

How strange - flying class is good for one's social life! by Effie Arbon

“Yes, that sounds like a good idea,” Effie smiled, as Isabel's suggestion that they meet in the middle. It really wasn't far between the two groups but it seemed nicely diplomatic, and that sort of thing was important. It seemed a good agreement to Effie more from the point of view of no one having to be the one to go to the other, as some people might feel it implied certain things about their relative statuses. It might seem a little off, for example, if she called Isabel and expected her to come. As Isabel had agreed to them joining each other, it would not have been too improper for Effie to go to them. As the other two wobbled closer though, followed by struggling to keep their balance through the pseudo-curtsey, it became clear to her that it had been a practical consideration, or perhaps political in another way. She was a little surprised, wondering whether these girls had never flown before. Perhaps taking things to that extreme was fashionable these days. In which case, she ought to not appear so competent. The possibility occurred to her that their worry about what others would think was what was causing this behaviour. That, perhaps, they were all competent underneath but putting on a show of struggling in order to appear more ladylike. It was the sort of stalemate encountered when each person insists that the other must go first, for example when proceeding through a doorway or choosing their cake at tea, with nobody wishing to make a bold and decisive move for fear that it will count against them. If that was the case then Miss Pierce was outdoing them all.

“A pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Effie smiled at Amity Brockert. She noted with interest that Miss Pierce and Isabel seemed to have met before. She wondered what social occasion had fostered this. A wedding perhaps. Or perhaps they had already been introduced to society and were attending parties. She wracked her brains, trying to recall announcements. The twins should have stood out, had they been mentioned, although twins – being highly genetic – were less of oddity in the magical world. Besides which, she had more pressing things to concentrate on, such as remaining airborne and dignified. If they were already attending parties though, she could not help but feel a slight stab of jealousy, along with a worry that she was already behind her peer group in terms of making connections.

“I'm quite at a loss what else to suggest,” Effie sighed hopelessly, as Miss Pierce failed again to perform the first part of the lesson. Either she was genuinely utterly unwilling to fly or was going to extremes to prove herself ladylike, which were a little overdone and unnecessary given that the rest of them were already in the air. Or the broom was defective, as Miss Pierce had suggested. Effie supposed it was not improbable that the school had faulty, out-of-date equipment, or that one of the more common students had been last to handle the delicate piece of equipment and had broken it. Rather than put forward this option, at the risk of appearing an expert on broom mechanics, she appealed to the other members of the group, hoping her lack of ideas might make up for her apparent ease in the air. “Can either of you think of anything?” she asked, shifting her position slightly on the broom as though a little uncomfortable, and deliberately causing it to tremble ever so slightly.

13 Effie Arbon How strange - flying class is good for one's social life! 238 Effie Arbon 0 5

Carter Browning, Teppenpaw

September 24, 2012 1:06 AM

A little dirt never hurt anyone cuz by Carter Browning, Teppenpaw

Carter had heard the girl scream before seeing a zooming flame haired girl zooming her way past a small group of people. He had barely been able to move out of the way himself before she whizzed past him out of control. He sat hovering on his broom and watched as the girl careened towards the goal post, but was stopped by Coach Pierce. He watched as she comically grew stiff as a board and dropped onto a mattress that was laid out on the ground meant to catch her. "Wow! That was nuts!" he stammered, drifting down towards the ground on his broom. He watched curiously as the girl was unstuck and then taken to the hospital wing. He started to offer taking her when he was stopped by a familiar whine. "Oh brother!," he grumbled as he made his way to where he found Kinley sprawled out on the ground, having apparently tripped over her broom.

He shook his head patiently and offered her his hand. "Its only dirt Kinley...It can easily be washed off," he patiently explained to her as he heard her whine “Eeew, icky… eeew…” Sometimes even he had to wonder how the two of them could ever be related. Once he had her back on her feet he didn't dare try brushing her off for fear that she might bite him or something. He laughed slightly at her obvious distress and wondered just how this girl was gonna survive out in the real world where the was dirt and bugs and every other creepy crawly known to man. He knew that if she truly knew that she might not ever come out of her room. That thought alone tickled him slightly.

"You're going to have to try this again," he told her gently. "You have to, to at least not get a zero for the class. You don't want a zero...do you cuz?" he asked playfully teasing her. "How bad would that look if you were to flunk out of flying class with a zero?" He knew that she couldn't deal with getting a zero on anything. He figured she'd either suck it and try again or she'd start whining again and drive him crazy with it. He almost couldn't wait to see what she'd do next.

0 Carter Browning, Teppenpaw A little dirt never hurt anyone cuz 0 Carter Browning, Teppenpaw 0 5

McKinley

September 24, 2012 12:51 PM

It can hurt me! by McKinley

McKinley was now laying in the dirt on the Pitch and she was definitely NOT happy about that fact. "Eeew... icky... eeew..." she repeated over and over again in a muffled tone. She looked up and saw Carter above her. Thank goodness... He'll get me out of this ickie dirt... she thought to herself as she saw him shake his head at her. Carter offered his hand, and she took the chance he'd given her to get up, even though his hands were now dirty too. It wasn't the best of situations, but she'd take it if it would get her out of the dirt.

"Its only dirt Kinley... It can easily be washed off,"

"I know... But Carter... it's icky..." she whined slightly louder, but only loud enough for him to hear. He helped her up and she looked into his face. She knew he was laughing slightly at her, which sort of made her mad. She wasn't laughing at him for anything, why did he think it was okay to laugh at her?

She looked down at herself, she was filthy! Eeeew... she thought as she shivered. I better have time to change before the next class... Because eew...

When Carter told her she'd have to try it all again to not get a zero for the class, she looked at him as if she thought his head would implode into itself and make her dirtier.

"You don't want a zero...do you cuz? How bad would that look if you were to flunk out of flying class with a zero?"

"Of course I don't want a zero! But Carter... It's icky!" she moaned, so that again, he was the only one that could hear her.

0 McKinley It can hurt me! 0 McKinley 0 5

Carter Browning, Teppenpaw

September 25, 2012 8:09 PM

Oh Brother... by Carter Browning, Teppenpaw

Carter halfway groaned when Kinley moaned again about the dirt and the broom being icky. He tried to be patient, but her whinning was making it a tad difficult. Unfortuantely for Kinley she was not at home where she could complain how she wished about the dirty conditions. Here at Sonora she was all alone and he hoped that being here would help her to not be so...so...Kinley. He knew that was probably a long shot, but the thought was worth a try. Normally he might have indulged her at home, but here at school he found that he didn't wish to be as indulgent of her quirky whims. If Kinley was going to make it as a witch she would have to learn that sometimes you had to get dirty. He knew she really wouldn't see it that way, but oh well.

He helped her pick up the broomstick and handed it back to her. "Icky or not you gotta at least try," he told her trying to sound supportive. "Besides, even proper ladies have had to dirty their hands a little bit getting what they wanted. If you wnat to climb the social ladder you have to be willing to deal with even the unpleasant parts." He wasn't entirely sure what a social ladder was, but he had heard his mother use the term enough times that he thought it might help with Kinley. He instructed her to put her brom back onto the ground and command it to come "UP"to her hand. "Pretend you're bossing somebody around," he suggested. "You have to make the command as sternly as possible for the broom to obey you. Once you get it up off the ground, (which I know you can) you then proceed to mount the broom either straight on or sitting on the side. Even respected ladies ride sitting to the side," he told her. He figured if he made the action sound more dignified than she wouldn't whine about it soo much.

"Once you're on, just kick up into the air and concentrate on making the thing hover in one spot. If you can do that the rest will come a lot easier," he told her matter-of-factly. "Now come on Kinley...give it one more shot," he encouraged her stepping aside to see if she really would step up. It was all up to Kinley now.

0 Carter Browning, Teppenpaw Oh Brother... 0 Carter Browning, Teppenpaw 0 5

Kinley

September 25, 2012 10:05 PM

Oh cousin... by Kinley

McKinley moaned in an almost desperation. She hated dirt, always had. Maybe it was more than hate, maybe it was pure fear too. There was something about the ugly colored granules of gook that made the eleven year old shiver. Kinley knew Carter was trying to be patient with her, but she also knew that she was driving him nuts as well.

She had a feeling that she was going to be over his line of tolerance here shortly and she wasn’t happy about it. The Crotalus hated that. Carter was her only hope, her only bridge to cleanliness and home. He was her cousin, her best friend and if even HE started to hate her, where would she be?

Alone. Completely alone.

Carter picked up her broomstick and handed it back to Kinley. She tried hard not to drop it, thinking, It’s not dirty, its not dirty…

Carter spoke, "Icky or not you gotta at least try. Besides, even proper ladies have had to dirty their hands a little bit getting what they wanted. If you want to climb the social ladder you have to be willing to deal with even the unpleasant parts."

Kinley moaned, but nodded her head. He was right after all. She needed to go up the social ladder, be the best that she could be, she already was to be sure. Carter told her to command the broom to come up into her hand like she was bossing someone around.

McKinley nodded to him, held her hand over the broom handle and said one strong and stern word. “UP!” The broom jumped up into her hand and she struggled not to drop it right back down on the ground. Eeew… she thought as she sat down on it sideways like a few of the other girls had done nearby.

“Eeew…” she mumbled as she kicked into the air, concentrating as he said, on hovering in one spot. Closing her eyes, she held on to the broom loosely in the hopes that no dirt was on it.

0 Kinley Oh cousin... 0 Kinley 0 5

Carter Browning, Teppenpaw

September 25, 2012 10:52 PM

Now for the landing by Carter Browning, Teppenpaw

Carter watched with interest as Kinley actually did the things he suggested without once verbally uttering her usual complaints about the possibility of dirt. He could not have been more proud of her than if she had picked up and rubbed the dirt on herself with her own two hands. He knew that would never happen, but it was a nice thought. He watched as the broom jumped up into her waiting hand, that he couldn’t help noticing was shaking slightly, and grasp it with both hands despite the dirt it might contain. He clapped his hands together when she managed to put the broom into the air with her still on it and hover. “That’s my cousin!” he said proudly, as he watched her hover on the broomstick in the air. He had hoped that she would get just as much out of the flying experience as he got. Again he was pretty sure that was a pipe dream, but you never know.

Carter mounted his own broom and hovered in the air near her. “That is awesome Kin,” he encouraged her. “Now lets see if we can get your feet back onto the ground, shall we?” He asked her encouragingly. He brought his broom a little closer to hers. “Okay, here we go. Just concentrate on floating the broom in the opposite direction than up,” he instructed. “Instead of thinking of floating upward, think about putting your feet back on the ground.” He hoped that she understood what he had meant by that. He decided that he would show her how to do it. He gestured for her to follow his lead and floated his broom towards the ground, placing his feet on the ground and dismounting his broom. He waited to see if she got the hint and would do as he instructed. “Come on Kinley…you can do this,” he encouraged her from the ground.

0 Carter Browning, Teppenpaw Now for the landing 0 Carter Browning, Teppenpaw 0 5

Kinley

September 25, 2012 11:22 PM

Huston, we have a dirt problem... by Kinley

McKinley wasn't sure what actually possessed her to do what her cousin suggested, but she had. She hadn't said ick or any of her other staple phrases out loud, thought she definitely said them in her head.

Her hands shook as she held the broom, mounted and hovered. Carter clapped his hands together and proudly exclaimed, “That’s my cousin!” His exclamation scared her, but she didn't lose grip on the broom. Carter hovered near her and encouraged her.

“Now lets see if we can get your feet back onto the ground, shall we? Okay, here we go. Just concentrate on floating the broom in the opposite direction than up, instead of thinking of floating upward, think about putting your feet back on the ground.” He said as he moved closer to her.

Kinley nodded her head to him and concentrated as hard as she could. Eeew... Icky... Down... Think down... Eeeew... Think down... she thought as he gestured to her to follow his lead. Carter floated his feet towards the ground and dismounted his broom. Kin leaned forward and her feet grazed the dirty ground. She dismounted her broom as well as Carter encouraged her from the ground.

Getting off the broom, she closed her eyes again and shook a little bit in her shoes. I did it... I really did it, even though it was icky...

0 Kinley Huston, we have a dirt problem... 0 Kinley 0 5

Carter Browning, Teppenpaw

September 26, 2012 6:41 PM

I'm proud of you cuz by Carter Browning, Teppenpaw

Carter watched Kinley sink down towards the ground and held his breath. His cousin had managed to get this far with the whole flying thing and now all she had to do was put both of her feet on the ground and dismount the broom. He let out the breath he had been holding and hoped that she could do it. When he watched her put her feet firmly on the ground without one single, solitary word of protest or complaint he felt that there might actually be hope for her. If she could complete this task without freaking out completely imagine what else she could accomplish. Once she was on the ground Carter hurried over to her and gave her the biggest hug. "See brat...I told you you could do this," he told her encouragingly, still hugging her.

"I'm very proud of you Kinley. You managed to accomplish something big all on your own without complaining about it. this could be a good start for you," he told her, pulling slowly out of the hug. "Think you're up for trying it one more time or was that attempt the pinnacle of your abilities for today?" he asked half teasing, half serious. He had the feeling that Kinley's threshold for the icky may have been reached and stepped over for the day. "Perhaps not," he mused observantly. She had managed to climb onto the broom, get it to hover in the sir without falling off and land safely on the ground. All without complaining aloud once. That had to have taken a lot of willpower from her.

'What do you say after class I'll walk you towards your house and meet you for lunch before our next class? That way you have the chance to get cleaned up," he suggested.

0 Carter Browning, Teppenpaw I'm proud of you cuz 0 Carter Browning, Teppenpaw 0 5

Kinley

September 26, 2012 7:57 PM

Me? by Kinley

Kinley sank down towards the ground and dismounted her broom. I did it... Even though it was icky... she thought to herself. The Crotalus knew that Carter had been watching her, she just wondered what his response to this would be. Carter hurried to her and hugged her his biggest hug, "See brat...I told you you could do this,"

"Brat?" she repeated after him as he praised her again about what she'd been able to do.

"Think you're up for trying it one more time or was that attempt the pinnacle of your abilities for today?"

Kinley knew that he was asking half seriously but also half teasing. She knew that she didn't want a thing more of icky, and she knew that to do it again would break her threshold of icky even further. She looked at her cousin as if he must have come from another planet to ask her that.

"Perhaps not,"

"Perhaps not is right... Once was enough..." she replied to him, shivering slightly as he suggested he walk her back to her House so she can change and then they could get lunch. "Yes please..." she said to him, hoping that meant their class was over like right then.

0 Kinley Me? 0 Kinley 0 5