Galway, Ireland

Cloud threw his hood over his head and walked to the castle. He came to the large front door and walked in. Looking around he saw a group off in the distance. Dammit I'm late.
Cloud saw the people were all teenagers and children. At least I'm at the right place. He sprinted up to the group and slowed down to a trot when he was about 10 feet away.
The voice of, what Cloud presumed was, the headmistress echoed through the hallway and he used that to make his feet sound lighter so he could sneak up to the back of the group easier. Throwing his hood down, popping a piece of gum into his mouth, and putting his hand in the pockets of his jeans Cloud walked to the back of the group and acted like he had been there the entire time.

Fiona paused for a second, and smiled at dana. "Well done." she smiled at the little Pine Marten. She hadn't missed the new boy. She decided not to say anything. She stopped at one room, which only had one word engraved on it. 'Ceol'. "Music" she murmured, then checked the list. "Cloud Morrison?" she
called out. "This is your room. Move along, kids a moment." once the kids were out of earshot, she said to the boy, "Just in time, ma young friend, eh? If you listen at night and dawn, you can hear the music. Birds and the like." and then she walked back to the group, smiling slightly.


Maggie was at the river, or, as her mom called it, the brook. She looked back towards the castle, and saw that her mom had put someone in the Ash Room. She rolled her eyes, and hooked her legs around a tyre on a rope, swinging gently. She raised her hand, and a small bubble of water rose up from the river, spinning slightly. She smiled slightly.

David watched as others were given rooms when he suddenly thought of another question. "Will we be alowed into town in our free time?" he asked hopefully. He really wanted to see more of the town and surrounding castle grounds.

Fiona looked at the boy. "Actually, if you check your schedule, there IS outings arranged. My daughter leads you arond the wilder parts, while you can go inta town on t' weekends. Get it? And theres lunch and break" she msiled at the boy. he asked good questions. She came to another door. 'Shilleleigh' she rolled her eyes. her sister had named this room. "David?" she called. To her surprise, it was the boy next to her. "Yor room, lad. Any other questions, ill be in my office or in t' grounds mosta t' time"

David nodded to Fiona as he entered his room. He quickly emptyed his duffle bag and sorted through its contents. After putting away his cloths and books He only had a small pile of items left One was a photo of his real parents and a picture of his adoptive Father. He put both onto his bedside table and layed down on his bed. He would take a short nap before taking a look outside. "Canis" he called to his dog "Do what ever you want I'll leave my door open." He closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Arch noticed a girl down by the river, and watched her interestedly. He saw her look up for a moment before going back to what she was doing. What was she doing? Arch rested his forehead against the cool glass, his red hair gleaming in the sun. He didn't like the color too much, it made him stand out and he didn't like standing out in a crowd. But he never really got around to dying it. Maybe he kinda liked the distinction a little. Arch cocked his head to one side as he watched the girl silently. Maybe later he would go hunt down a piano and he and Tiburon could go play. Well, he would play and Tiburon would sleep in his lap. Arch loved the little kitten, rescued from a dumpster, and he took the cat everywhere with him.

As Melanie walked with the group, she noticed that the rooms all had names. What will my room be? Thinking about being in a room by herself made her stomach start to churn. What would she do if she didn't make any friends? Where would she go? No, she thought, I will make friends. I just have to try. Looking around, Melanie wondered where the classrooms were. This castle was so huge, would the classes be far to walk?
"Um, excuse me? Where are the classes located?" Melanie asked, raising her hand slightly so the headmistress could find her in the tight group. She was in the back, trying not to grab any attention. She worried her question was random and stupid, and averted her eyes. Great, she thought, Now they think I'm a moron. Lucy, feeling her anxiety, came and rested her torso against Melanie's leg. The warmth of her furry companion soothed her mind, and made her feel better.

Zoey walked with the group as everyone was given their rooms. When she had heard there was no room mates, she wasn't all that upset, but she had hoped she might get one easy friend. Now she would have to do it the hard way. Fiona ushered the group ahead as she pointed out the room to a 'David'. She caught up with them quickly after and they kept walking.
Gawd. How big is this place? How am i ever going to find my classes?! Zoey considered trying to ask but didn't want to make a scene. Didn't really want to talk to anyone really. Luckily a blonde near Zoey raised her hand and asked where the classes were. She must have been thinking the same thing. Zoey watched as she looked away from everyone, obviously feeling embarrased for asking, though it didn't seem like anyone was paying much attention.
"Like seriously." Zoey agreed loudly, breaking her own set rule about talking. "This place is freakin huge. I better not get counted tardy." Zoey offered a small smirk at the blonde. It was supposed to come off as friendly, but it might have just looked mean. Oh well. Who knows. Who cares. The blonde looked like one of the girls who had constantly hated on Zoey at her old school anyway. Maybe she was like that too, though Zoey would like to believe otherwise. She dropped the smirk/smile and pretended to be interested in the window they were passing. In the sky, a lone hawk circled near the castle. Aw, that's probably Sabre, the crazy bird. Zoey thought, her lips twitching up again.
After the long the long plane ride over to Ireland, Zoey had let the Great Black Hawk go to stretch his wings and hunt. He was like a homing pigeon, always coming home when he was called, or after an hour or two if he wasn't. She would have to call him in as soon as she got her room. I better have a window...

Surprised, Melanie looked to the girl who had spoken, smiling with a breath of relief. So she wasn't the only one who had wondered. Melanie looked at the girl as if she was a small candle flame in a dark empty room. A sign of hope. Melanie wanted to reply, to say something quirky and cute and something that wouldn't sound dumb. But in the time it took for her to think of something to say, the girl had offered a smile and turned towards the window already interested in something else. She was nice, sort of. I hope she is in my classes., Melanie thought, her ideas having potential.
Thinking about taking new classes reminded Melanie of her past ones. In her previous classes, her classmates were not only stuck up, but cold. No one had the potential to be a best friend, or even an acquaintance. Back at her old school, cliques were immediately formed on introductions, friends weren't really made just said. Melanie didn't have any place there, where people either cared or didn't. It seemed at this new school, with ominous invitation letter and plane ticket, Melanie would start over and branch out of her comfort zone. Maybe coming to this Academy would change the way things had been set in stone for so long. Maybe this friend thing won't be as difficult as I thought. Melanie pondered, changing her attitude and loosening her death grip on her messenger bag.

The gray hills of Ireland sloped up and down like the waves of an ocean storm, yet all was quiet. Jerome sat in the back seat of a cab that smelled of spilled liquor and mens' semenal fluid. He gazed out into the vast unknown.
The landscape's only inhabitants seemed to be farm cows and depressed horses. The few people seen on the side of the street gave him the impression that they believed that making too much noise would bring misfortune. The animals seemed to believe that as well.
After burying his mother, Jerome had spent his childhood years squatting in the dust of his aunt Helen's creaking home in Connecticut. His cousins didn't like him. He didn't like them either.
In a couple minutes he would meet his "father" for the first time in his life. The only thing Jerome knew was that he would probably be a very serious man.
Serious about his work. "The work he is doing here must be very important". Jerome thought.
He never showed up to his mother's funeral.

Fiona spotted the girl, and smiled. "The classes that are single digit numbers are on the ground floor, the tens number, for example eleven, twelve, are on the first, the twenty's on the second, so on, so forth. It's a simple system. the doors are in consecutive order. one is beside two, beside three, four five. and don't worruy. theres a fifteen minute window from the first bell for you to fuind your class. As long as you get there, you won't be counted late. "Zoey Spleha? Your room" she nodded to the room labelled 'clover'. She checked her watch, and frowned. She handed the list to the closestpupil. "The rooms continue down this corridor. check the room name, then call out the pupil." she smiled, and walked back the way she had came. She was expecting another teacher to arrive soon.



Maggie looked around, sure someone was watching her. She caught sight of a boy with red hair, like her own, but hers was naturally this vivid. She smiled self-consciously at him, then waved her fingers in a few gestures. the water in the orb changed shape, forming letters. She levitated them so he could see. It read, 'I'm Maggie'.

Arch blinked in surprise when he saw the girl look up at him. She was a red-head too, and he wondered if it was her Irish origins that made it that color. His was from his Scandinavian heritage, which technically was close to hers, because of the Vikings and all... His eyes suddenly widened when he saw her bending the water. "Maggie." he said quietly, he raised a hand and flicked his fingers in a little wave. He bent and grabbed a piece of paper and a marker and wrote his name in his own scrawly and curvy script. ARCH it said. He held it up for her to see.

"Great." Zoey said in response to Fiona's answer. The headmistress called out her name and pointed her to the 'Clover' room. Zoey groaned mentally. Why am I stuck with such a lame room name?! Whatever.
"See ya guys." She said, in a bit of a cold tone to the others, and pried open the door to her room. She opened it a crack then slipped in, firmly shutting it.
She turned and looked at her room.
It was decent size, deffenitly larger then her little attic room at home. Thank gawd, there was also a large window with a window seat in the corner. There was a twin dark oak bed and a matching long dresser and wardrobe. A small desk was in the other corner.
"Cozy." Zoey muttered, throwing her bags on the bed and going to the window. She found the latch easily and swung it open.
The view was okay, but was moslty blocked by trees. She could just barely see a river curling in them.
Well, at least this is a good area for Sabre. He can find plenty of food here.
Speaking of the crazi bird, he was still cicling above, but was now doing loopy-loops and some fancy flying. Probably trying to amuse himself. Zoey thought with a laugh. She leaned out the window and put her hands to her mouth. She created a series of ear piercing whistles in a tune that spiraled up and down quite melodicly. Sabre immediatly changed course and swooped into the window, narrowly avoiding hitting Zoey.
"Hey!"
He landed on the desk and took in his surroundings. Zoey smiled and grabbed her suitcase, pulling out a small six inch tube. She extended it until it became longer then attached another piece to form a T. She settled it by the desk and Sabre hopped to it, cooing happily.
"Aw, are you glad to have your perch back?" Zoey cooed back to him, petting his head affectionatly. He nuzzeled into her hand. Sabre was a bit small for a bird of his kind, at 57 centimeters long and weighing 1 kilogram. He had broad black wings and a short white tail with a black. His beak was also black but his legs and cere were bright yellow.
He was the best pet anyone could ask for and Zoey's best friend. She held out her arm and he jumped on it, talons gripping over many faded scars. When he was younger he would grip hard enough to draw blood, but now he just left scratches, if anything.
As Zoey held and stroked him, she suddenly had an idea. What if she wasn't the creepy outcast at this new school? What if she could actually make friends?
"Well, nows the best time to start! I don't want to be alone in classes." She said to Sabre, narrating her thoughts to him as she often did. She walked out of her room, made sure the group was gone, and went done the way they had origanally come from. The first door she came too had been given to someone, she just wasn't sure who.
It was labled 'Shilleleigh'. Zoey knocked shyly, keeping a hand on Sabre's back for comfort. Here goes plan A....

A soft knocking sound penetrated David's nap he sat up rubbing his eye's, he yawned and stood up. That had been a good nap he thought to himself as he walked over to his door and opened it. It was a girl. He had seen her when he arrived Her name was Zoey he believed. She looked slightly younger than him was rather pale skin and brown hair with highlights. She had green eyes which he found intresting. "Your Zoey right?" he asked hoping he wasn't wrong. That would be embarrassing he thought to himself. "Im David, nice bird." he said sticking out his hand.

Your Zoey right?"
"Yeah. That's me." Zoey said eyeing his tossled hair and sleepy eyes. Oh gawd he was sleeping. Oops.
"Im David, nice bird" He didn't seem to mind if she had woken him up and just stuck out his hand. Zoey rubbed her thumb over Sabre's head before extending her own.
"Thanks. He's a Great Black Hawk. Er, nice dog..." Zoey gave the pitbull a glance. He was just wondering around the room looking bored. Zoey smiled slightly looking at it and almost laughed. He was so adorable, all black with a white patch on his belly. And his eyes were just so..!
She snapped her attention back to David before he thought she was wierd for starring at his dog.
"Sorry if I woke you up..." She said apologeticly.
David was, to put it mildly, pretty ripped. As she stuck out her hand Zoey was almost afraid to shake, figuring his great fists could crush her little fingers in a second. His skin was olive and his eyes had sparkling golden flecks in them. He was deffenetly older then her and probably wouldn't want her hanging around. Sabre ruffled his wings, sensing her awkwardness, and aprubtly jumped off her arm, gliding into David's room and settling on the headboard of his bed. Zoey literally facepalmed.
"Sabre! You're so rude, you crazy bird!"
He just let out his signgature high pitched "ooo-wheeeeee!" pipe, a call that might have hurt the ears of anyone who wasn't used to it. He almost seemed to smile as Zoey gave him an exasperated look.

Fiona was back at the school doors, awaiting for James Olivier to arrive. She had been having a slight bicker with him over his son, Jerome, who she was meeting for the first time.

Maggie read the sign, softly murmuring to herself. "Arch." She waved her hand, and the water rearranged itself. 'Cool name,' it read 'you can come down if you like'.

Setting down his bags, Jason finally sighed and laid down on his bed. It's been a long ride up, but he finally arrived at the Elemental Academy. Looking around, his mind rushed with thoughts of what he was going to learn, what he was able to do, what kind of people he would meet, and more oriented with his favorite subject, what girls he would meet. Immediately, he begun unpacking. After several minutes, he finally finished unpacking. He turned his attention to his pet tiger snake. Jason was always one for being on the reckless side, which explains his choice of a tiger snake as a pet. Tiger snakes are one of the most poisonous snakes in the world. Dropping a rat into the cage, Jason smirked a bit and walked back over to the bed where he had set his electric guitar near. He began playing a bit, just laying on his bed.

After a while of playing guitar, he finally put his guitar down and looked around. Hmmm.....maybe I should check out what the other students are like, Jason thought to himself. With that, he got up and walked out his room door, making sure it was locked and that he had the key. That's the last thing he wanted to do was embarrass himself on the first day, forgetting his keys in his room. Walking down the corridor, Jason finally managed to catch the Headmistress standing near the school doors. Walking up to her, he greeted her with a formal "Hello Headmistress MacLeod" and bowing slightly, as in a formal greeting.

"Aut viam inveniam aut faciam" James Olivier meditated in his study. " Aut vincere aut mori... Failure is not an option.."
There was a knock at the door. One of the older students, Derek Leer spoke outside his door. " Professor, the new students have arrived." He hesitated a little. " I believe.. Jerome hasn't arrived yet sir. "
James briefly organized his shirt collar then left.
" This sacred ground of learning was once an honorable institution, yet many things have been undone. The headmistress and her Council of pathetic sychophants have made a mockery of her predecessors. I've gotten tired of her vainglorious administration." He grumbled.
Derek followed closely behind. He held a firm grip on his copper wand, tucked into his uniform belt. He was one of the school's prefects who were feared by the other students. James Olivier, being the head of the School Security, gave him authority to maintain order by any means necessary.
Seeing the headmistress across the hall, James greeted her.
" Tam diu minime visu(long time no see (latin)) beloved headmistress. Greetings to you." He made a slight bow. "Ah, I see that the new students have arrived to this glorious institution. I feel t'would surely be a magnificent year of wonders. " He exclaimed.
" More so, much is expected of the students. I believe. I would much be distressed if any of our new pupils could not meet our institution's.. standards of excellency. Wouldn't you agree? "

Arch cocked his head to one side. Should he? Eh, it wouldn't kill him. and he liked being outside, and having a good reason to be out there was a nice thing to have. He gave her another small wave, dropped the piece of paper, and went in search of a way out. He quickly found a door, and stepped outside into the crisp cool air. "Ah." He said softly, then stared a brisk jog in the direction of the girl. The rhythm of it calmed him, and it wasn't till he was over a quarter of the way to her that he realized that eh had forgotten Tiburon. He turned around suddenly to see his dear little kitten struggling through the grass. "Tib." He said, then ran to go pick the kitten up. he tucked the black scrap of fur into the crook of his arm and continued on his way. Soon he could hear the peaceful murmuring of the creek, and he smiled. it was like natures own music. He wished he could play that beautifully with out trying. He spotted the red-head girl and gave her yet another half wave and a half-heated smile.

David shook Zoey's hand gently worried he might hurt her hand. "Oh I don't mind that you woke me up I needed to get up to feed my dog." He looked at her wondering if he made her uncomfotable, he looked a lot older than 16. Some students for his old school had been scared of him. He was about to ask her where she was from to break the tension when her bird flew in the room and landed on the headboard of his bed and let out a loud screech. His dog started to bark and jump around joining in on the noise. He looked at the birds and back at Zoey seeing how exasperated she was at her bird making a racket he let out a laugh. His laugh echoed off walls of his room he couldn't stop it was funny the bird had known exactly what to do. He straightened up and smiled at Zoey. "Nice bird" he said again. "Whats its name? Thats Canis." he said pointing at his dog which had run up to Zoey and was trying to lick her hand. As he walked towards the bird he asked "May I" held out his hand towards the bird offering it a perch.

Snagcheol. That was Nick's room. He wondered what it meant. He cautiously opened the door, finding it was much lighter than he expected, with the size of the thing. When Nick took a peek inside of the room, he completely forgot about the name of his room. He found heaven. The most beautiful Trombone he'd ever seen was in one corner of the room, Trombone stand, music stand, the whole works. Every single mute he knew plus one or two he never knew existed. Every kind of slide cream and slide oil possible. A note on the music stand read, "We hope you're satisfied with all this. We gave you alot of options for taking care of the horn and stylistic equipment. We've been saving up to it. -Love, Mom and Dad P.S. Happy birthday." Nick grinned at the notecard. It was his mothers handwriting alright. And it surprised him that his mom somehow knew he would get it on or after his birthday. Technically, it was after his birthday here. But it was still his birthday in the States. Nick passed it off as coincidence and looked around a little more.
This room was perfect for him. A small stereo with disk after disk of Jazz music next to it. There was a small area for his dog. Nothing interesting, a few toys and an area for him to do his business. I'll have to keep on that... Nick realized. He laid down on his bed and looked at the roof. The roof was the only non-matching piece of this room. It was the original ceiling built with the castle. Nick closed his eyes and started whistling some Jazz Improv, making it up as he went. The music carried down the hall, his bedroom door wide open.

David began laughing hystarecly as Sabre screeched and laughed even harder as his dog joined into the racket. Zoey couldn't help but giggle.
He walked towards Sabre as his laughter died down. "Nice bird." He said again. "What's it's name? That's Canis." Zoey smiled down at the pug as he nudged her fingers and slobbered on them.
"Hi Canis.... Oh, He's named Sabre." She looked back up and saw David outstrething his arm. "May I..?"
"Wait!" Zoey tried to warn him. But Sabre had already glided onto his arm, clumping down with his talons, as usual feeling no reason to be gentle with a stranger. Zoey could even tell from where she was standing that Sabre's talons would probably draw blood.
"Ugh, sorry!" She said hurriedly, feeling bad. She bit her lip and shot a sharp whistle at Sabre who lifted up a few feet before settling back on David's arm with his talons carefully placed.
"Sorry, he's trained with me, but I have to tell him how to act with other people! Sorry, sorry! I hope he didn't hurt you!"

David winced when Sabre clamped his talons onto his arm. It had drawn some blood, when It flew off his arm and back to Zoey's she started to apologize "Sorry, sorry! I hope he didn't hurt you!" He smiled and waved it off "I'm fine, it was my fault for not waiting for your answer." He looked at the small talon marks they sure bleed a lot but didn't hurt. He grabbing a cloth from his duffle bag he wiped off the blood on his arm and looked back at Zoey. As he got some bandaids from a first aid kit he had brought he asked "Where are you from anyways? I am from Florida."

" Good headmistress, I fear I must get straight to the matter that has been causing me some discomfort with you. A matter regarding the qualifications involved in enrollment." James paused a moment.
"You see, I believe there had been some error when our chief crystal-gazer professor Loreto discovered this boy Jerome. Yes, he is my own son.. and that is the exact reason I feel my judgement is correct. As his father I would know quite well whether or not this boy has the potential to become an accomplished sorcerer. I can feel absolutely nothing related to psi energy in him."
" I have seen professor Loreto that day. I saw in his eyes; the manner in which he walked showed he was excessively fatigued from working on some overdue papers the previous night. As respected as he is, any of our staff members could admit that at some occasions he lacks some.. focus in his work. "
James expressed 'doe-eyes.' "Please consider this decision once more headmistress Macleod. We cannot afford to make the same mistakes such as last year on our school's funds! Do you remember.. oh, what was their name? The Hartford twins. Yes. They did not possess the mental qualities that distinguishes our students at all! We must make more wiser decisions. We must not tolerate sloppy work any longer! "

Fiona nodded to James, and replied, in gaelic. "Tá súil agam go bhfuil tú go maith (I hope that you are well) James." she listened carefully, and nodded when he mentioned the Hartford twins. It was a pity about them, but the way the world works. "You may have a point there, James." she replied after he had finished before he could speak again, she held up on hand. "But. I do not want to take the risk of leaving a boy with abilities untrained. The risks to society, and the child, are too high. So I will compromise. I will take the boy into my office when he arrives, and have my Maggie check him. She is more than capable, and I trust her judgement, despite her many attempts to rebel against me. if the boy isn't capable, we shall send him home. If he is, he shall stay. Agreed? And I shall speak with Loreto, and decide if he is still capable. now, if you'll excuse me, I have to take the sign down." she raised a hand, and the ivy withered, and fell to the ground, leaving the door almost untouched.