Chapter 2: Arrival

  Selene thumped her backpack on the bed. It was a rough, slightly discolored leather bag with worn brass buckles, barely holding the opening together with rusty buckles. Her father had presented it to her with a glowing gruffness, the scruffy beard on his head barely concealing his proud smile.

  “Here, kid. This is for you. I used it when I went to school like you. Of course, it wasn’t as fancy as yours. I just had one teacher and 14 kids, all crammed into a tiny room, and we all shared the same pencil, you know? Yeah, we had to pass it around each one at a time…” Corinn had rambled on while Selene checked the bag out excitedly. It was one of the nicest things her parents had ever gotten her - every year, they tried to get her something new, but what with the failing farm and the hiking expenses, the Rillfanger family was truly in a tight spot. Even then, she would still receive something or the other every single year, even if it was just a carved wooden toy or a couple pastries from town to enjoy for her birthday.

  This year, a good quarter of their crops had become rotten and slimy, and her parents were in the fields all day trying to weed it out. Selene had offered to help, but they encouraged her to stay inside and flip through the few books they had. She saw the way their faces contorted in pain every time they sat down for a break, the way they stayed up late at night to massage their aging bones. Despite all this, her parents still managed to give her something special for every important event. Selene thought about the quiet glow in their eyes when they looked at her and felt her eyes prick.

  She turned the backpack over in her hands again, the leather as rough and reassuring as her father’s hands. He was still recounting the legendary days of his youth. “... and so we hiked 30 miles every single day to get to our schoolhouse, which was a pile of logs on top of a hill. Selene, are you listening? You know, this is some wise wisdom you won’t be getting from anywhere else. Better stock up on it now while you can.”

  Selene looked up, feeling thankful and slightly indebted. “I know, Dad. I’m just leaving for a couple weeks, I’ll be back by the harvest festival.”

  He sighed and drew closer, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Selene… I know we’re just farmers but we want the best for you. You should go out, play with other kids, have fun. Weren’t you friends with a couple girls from town?”

  Selene frowned. “No, I’m not really… close with them. And I don’t like playing with them, anyways. I’d rather go find a new book.”

  Corinn looked away and tutted. “Selene, you have to get along with other people someday. You can’t just stay with us forever.”

  “You keep saying that, and it’s really annoying! Why can’t I stay with you forever? I don’t need friends, they’re not more fun than the bookstores downtown-” She stopped her outburst before she accidentally said too much. Thankfully, her father didn’t notice.

  “You’re gonna have to leave someday, Selene. We won’t always be there-”

  She cut him off, her voice pitching up. “Why not? You’re not leaving, are you?”

  “Of course not, sweet girl. Why do you say that?” He tried to calm her down.

  Selene paused. She didn’t tell them that last night, she had gotten up in the middle of the night to get a cup of water and accidentally overheard their conversation. Lowered voices floated out from their room, which was directly next to the kitchen. Selene couldn’t help but draw closer. Snatches of conversation drifted out, hooking Selene’s curiosity. She crept towards the crack between the door and the wall.

  “...should we tell her?”

  “No, school starts in just a couple days. What if she gets affected?”

  Her mother paused for a moment before responding. “She deserves to know. She’s going to find out, anyways, and I’d rather it be from us than from someone else.”

  Her father sighed. “We’ve kept it a secret for so long. Would it be so hard to keep it for a couple more days?”

  Aleena controlled her voice. “Yes, Corinn, yes it would. We’ve lied to her for so long, but you know she’s not stupid. One day, she’s going to question why her hair doesn’t look like our hair, or why her eyes are different than ours. It’s inevitable, Corinn.”

  Selene’s stomach dropped. A drop of water splashed on her foot - her hand was shaking. She put the wooden cup of water down, training her ears on the whispered conversation.

  “Aleena, we can’t do this to her. Not now, when she’s about to go out into the real world for the first time.”

  “If we don’t do it now, then when? When are we going to tell her that…”

  Time seemed to slow down. Selene held her breath, her heart pounding.

  “Say it, Aleena.”

  “That she’s… that-” Her mother’s voice had choked up with emotion.

  “That she’s adopted, dammit! See, you can’t even say it to yourself. How are you gonna say that right to her face?” Her father sighed again. “Forget it, let’s just go to bed.”

  Selene was numb all over.

  There was a ringing in her ears, and her world started to tilt. She steadied herself against the wall, accidentally knocking over the glass of water by her feet. The cool sensation of the liquid against her toes jerked her back to reality, and she turned and fled from the scene.

  What was going on? Her parents weren’t her real parents? Then what were all those years spent taking care of her - a lie? A manipulation? Her breath came in short gasps as she huddled into a little ball, curled up under the covers. Who was she, really? Was Selene even her real name? Did she even have a real name? What was going on????

  That night, Selene didn’t sleep. Random, half formed thoughts spiraled through her mind, tormenting her endlessly. She hovered between consciousness and sleep, all the while breathing shakily. What if…

  What if her parents didn’t want her anymore because she wasn’t their real child? What if she became too much of a burden, and they decided they would be better off just dropping her off somewhere in the middle of the night, leaving her to fend for herself? What if they…

  Selene squeezed her eyes shut and clamped her hands over her ears, as if it would magically stop the thoughts from getting worse and worse. She felt so scared, so uncertain. One question, a tiny, black, glittering thing, reared it's head from within her chest.

  Did her parents even love her at all?

  “-lene? Selene? Can you hear me?” Her father waved his hand in front of her face. “Kiddo, you’ve been standing there like a wax statue for solid five minutes. Or should I say a melting five minutes? Ha.” He chuckled to himself, but quickly retracted his smile when he saw that she was still catatonic.

  “Selene, kiddo, I don’t know what you’re thinking, but it’s gonna be okay.” He gently took her shoulders into his embrace, the texture of his tough tunic rubbing against her cheek. “Mom and I are here for you, always. Just tell us what it is, and we’ll try to help in the best way we can.”

  A shudder ran through Selene’s frail body, first subtle, then increasing in duration and intensity. Concerned, quickly inspected her once over, and found two silent streaks of tears running down her face.

  “...Dad, I’m scared.”

  “Oh, kiddo, everything’s gonna be alright. It’s just a new place, you’re not moving to a different planet. If you ever start to miss us, just remember that we’re all living under the same sky. The moon that you see every night before bed is the same one we look at, too. Whenever you feel lonely, just look at the sky and know that we’re looking at it too. That way, we’ll always be connected.”

  Selene thought about correcting him, but instead snuggled into his embrace, leaving two wet marks on his tunic. She hoped the warm, strong arms wrapped around her would squash out that inkling of doubt that been planted. Either way, she still had loving, caring parents, right? It didn’t matter that she wasn’t their biological kid… right?

  From the doorway and unnoticed by the father-daughter pair, Aleena silently pressed a hand to her mouth to stifle her sobs. Seeing that big and small figure, haloed in the afternoon sunlight, made her heart ache with tenderness. She couldn’t have asked for a better family. Aleena only hoped that Selene wouldn’t be too upset if she found out…

  The next day brought a brighter and chirpier mood than before. They headed off to the pickup point - a quiet tavern at the edge of town - where Selene was supposed to get picked up by cart. Selene happily walked alongside Aleena, smiling while she anxiously spewed dozens of concerns about Selene’s upcoming school life.

  “Do you have everything you need? Parchment, books - oh! What about herbs? Do you need herbs? Ohhhh, I forgot them at home, wait just two minutes and I’ll get them real quick!”

  Selene grabbed her mother’s hand before she could rush off. “It’s fine, Mom. They’ll provide everything anyways.”

  Aleena wasn’t satisfied. “Our farm has some of the best lavender in the entire province! You could give them out and make some friends, or maybe just keep them in your room to remind you of home, or-”

  “Mom, it’s really fine. I… I don’t really need friends, anyways. I have the library, which I heard is HUGE!” Selene’s awkward expression was wiped instantly the moment she talked about books.

  Aleena skeptically eyed her bookish daughter and thew a glance to Corinn. He replied with a shrug and a silent ‘it is what it is’ face.

  Suddenly, they heard the clopping of a horse and the creaks of a wooden carriage. Within a minute, the carriage had arrived in front of the tavern. Corinn peered at it curiously and asked, “This carriage goes to the Gloevendall Magic Academy, right?”

  The coachman, dressed in pristine and sharply ironed clothing, turned his head a fraction of an inch and monotoned, “That’s right.”

  Selene hugged both of her parents tightly. “Bye Mom, bye Dad. I’ll be back in a couple of months in time for the harvest festival, okay? Don’t miss me too much.”

  Aleena bit back a sob and squeezed her tiny daughter back with the same intensity. Corinn wrapped the two in a bear hug and mumbled, “It’s gonna be alright, kiddo. It’s gonna be alright.” It wasn’t clear if he was talking to Selene or himself.

  The coachmen cleared his throat - it was time to go. Selene took a deep breath, beamed one last time at her parents, and clambered into the carriage. Immediately, it started moving, as if the coachman didn’t want to stay for a moment longer than he had to. Selene waved to the shrinking figures in front of the tavern. Suddenly, Aleena shouted: “We love you, Selene! You’ll always be our brightest star!”

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Selene’s eyes grew hot. It looks like she didn’t have to worry after all.

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  They traveled by carriage for the entire day and well into the night. Though she had gotten a little got nauseous, Selene had managed to fall asleep to the rocking of the wagon and the chirping of the crickets outside. There were a couple blankets and pillows inside, none of the highest quality but still more comfortable than she had ever experienced nonetheless. By the time she woke up, the sun had already set, but they were still a long way until their destination. The coachman had not said a word to her the entire time. Selene, too, was too timid to start a conversation, so they both treated each other like they were air.

  ‘Were all people from the capital like this?’ Selene thought to herself. Farramore was just an outside province of Gloevendall. The only thing it was truly famous for was the produce and special magic herbs that it grew - but from where Selene was from, even the produce they grew was low-level and ubiquitous. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that she was literally a faceless, nameless speck in the masses.

  Gloevendall was the biggest, farthest reaching nation on the Western continent. It had all but taken over every other nation on the Western continent, blocking off all routes and passageways to the other three continents. Based on the rumors that Selene had heard from the occasional visitor, Gloevendall was in the process of seizing the one remaining fishing nation on the West coast of the Western continent. Based on the history books she’s read, Selene can only imagine how that would go.

  Gloevendall had always prided itself on being the most open and free nation. Kids were able to go to magic school and develop their skills at no personal cost, and they would be given a (supposedly) comprehensive basic education on magic and how to use it in their daily lives. It wasn’t mandated that everyone went to school, so kids who were born into trades that didn’t use magic usually skipped out on that. However, having a basic education in magic meant that people who didn’t have a particular profession could participate wherever they were needed, and not be limited to doing just one thing.

  The education system for Gloevendall was divided into three parts - the first was a very basic, ordinary schooling for kids (sponsored by the province) until they were about 13 years old, where they would learn how to read and do arithmetic and whatnot. Then, they could either end their schooling there and go into their family business, or continue learning and go to a magic school. There were many magic schools in Gloevendall, but the most prestigious was Gloevendall Magic Academy. Known as the top magic school in all of the Western continent, it was the hardest to get into, and usually only the children of famous or influential figures in the nation got to attend. However, in order to keep up good appearances, there were some select scholarships for highly motivated, extremely talented youth who demonstrated their potential and got to attend. Selene was one of these select few. Her teachers at the Farramore Primary Education Center noticed her unusual talent for spells and academic excellence overall, not driven by a desire to succeed but by her curiosity and passion for learning. So, they recommended her for the GMA equitable scholarship, and by pure luck, she got in.

  Selene remembered the joy and pride on her parents’ faces when they heard the news - she would never forget how her mother hugged her tightly and whispered through tears into her ear: “Oh, sweetheart, you’re gonna shine so bright there!”

  A pang of homesickness suddenly struck her, and she curled up with a small pillow. She really hoped she would be able to keep in touch with her parents while attending GMA, though she doubted the efficiency of the postal system. Would this be the last time she ever saw her parents…?

  She shook that thought out of her head. Selene would obviously come back during the break for the harvest festival, and then they would all celebrate with a hearty thornfruit pie. With those dreamy thoughts, she drifted back to sleep again. The single lantern up at front flickered slightly, and Selene’s tightly shut, long eyelashes cast shadows that swayed to the rocking of the carriage.

  The next thing she knew, it was morning. Selene was awakened by the whinnying of horses and the smell of… manure? Her eyes flew open and she found herself face to face with a ginormous, elongated head and two limpid eyes staring at her curiously. She shrieked and scrambled back, stumbling on her leather backpack and falling out of the front end of the carriage.

  Selene landed in something warm and moist. Her gut sank - and then was squashed by the leather backpack that fell squarely on her stomach. She wheezed.

  What was going on???

  It looked like she had reached GMA - but clearly this wasn’t the welcoming hall. Did the coachman just abandon her at the stables? Selene sighed as tears involuntarily sprang to her eyes. This was an awful start to what was supposed to be the most exciting part of her life. She really hoped things would look up from here.

  Suddenly, she heard a voice calling her name. “Selene Rillfong? Selene Fillrange? Selene?”

  Her heart leaped. “Me! T-that’s me! Over here!” She tried to stand up but slipped, almost landing face-down on the steaming brown pile below her. Thankfully, she grabbed on to a piece of the carriage to steady herself.

  A short figure dressed in dusty black robes rushed between the rows of wagons, trying to find the source of the shout. It almost flew past Selene, but she gave a quick shout, and it backtracked.

  “Oh, there you are, child. We’ve been looking for you all morning! Where were you?” a homely, grandmother-like voice said. It belonged to a rather stout, extremely old looking man? Woman? It was hard to tell, between the chubby, wrinkly face and the bright white perm peeking out from under a pointed hat.

  Selene sighed in relief and opened her mouth to speak when the piece of wood she had been clinging to suddenly gave out, and she plopped into another pile of manure.

  Great.

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  Several hours (and a long bath) later, Selene was all tidied up, sitting in the counselor’s office with a cup of peppermint tea and a blanket around her. It was her first time in such a grand place, and she could hardly contain her awe. The entire place looked like a castle, constructed out of ashy stone and sweeping marble. It was exactly how Selene had pictured medieval castles in fairytales about knights and dragons and princesses. There were floor to ceiling tapestries of ancient wizards and warlocks, battling evil and protecting the kingdom. The main colors of the school were red, gold, and black, which accented the dark grey cobblestone that made up the floors and walls.

  Selene took in everything with wide eyes. This would be where she spent the next five years of her life, until she graduated and went out into the real world. She really hoped she would be able to make some friends.

  Just then, the door creaked open. The grandmotherly teacher from before scurried in, clutching an impossibly high stack of scrolls. “Oh dear, oh dear, there’s so much to do!” she mumbled under her breath. Selene watched as a particularly big one stacked at the top was about to fall over. She was about to ask for help when it suddenly toppled from the pile. Selene lunged and managed to catch the scroll before it hit the ground.

  The grandmotherly teacher peeked around her stack and noticed Selene on the floor. “My dear, we do have chairs. Oh, I see you caught the scroll. Thank you very much dear, please, set it on the table and have a seat.”

  Selene did as she was told and waited for the teacher to settle herself. After a period of rustling around and more mumbling, the teacher sorted everything out and perched on the huge chair behind the equally huge wooden desk. “I apologize for the, ahem, unconventional welcome, Selene. It’s always a pleasure to have new students, especially ones from the countryside. We here in Gloevendall City believe that students from all walks of life should be accepted, so we are extremely glad you’re here.”

  Selene nodded and pretended she didn’t hear the slight condescension in her voice. The teacher continued.

  “My name is Professor Morgelhop, and I’m the counselor here at Gloevendall Magic Academy. If you ever need anything, just pop by and I’ll always be here, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me for anything. Now, I see you have all your belongings with you-” she nodded at the battered leather backpack beside Selene “- so we can get you situated in your room right now. Classes are in session right now, so we’ll get you enrolled in your proper classes by tomorrow. Until then, you can just hang around the other girls and make some friends!” Professor Morgelhop let out a little giggle and clapped her hands. Without further ado, she hopped out of the chair and bustled out of the room. Selene hurriedly gathered her things and followed the stout professor.

  They rushed through towering gray halls accented with red floor-to-ceiling emblems of the school - a four pointed star in gold with black making up the shadowed parts. Selene didn’t have time to get a closer look, though. Professor Morgelhop was surprisingly more agile than she looked, and Selene almost lost her a couple of times. Soon, they reached a big brown wooden door that looked to be a couple hundred years old. Professor Morgelhop stopped Selene and whispered an incantation at the door. The brass hinges and screws suddenly gleamed gold, but Selene had no time to ponder it before Professor Morgelhop asked her to hold out her hand. Selene did so reluctantly, but the next thing she knew, her entire hand was pressed to the brown wood.

  Selene bit back a shriek. It was scalding hot, and her arm reflexively pulled back - but Professor Morgelhop’s grip on her wrist was as tight as iron. Selene barely heard her consoling, “Only five more seconds, dear,” over her own deafening heartbeat. Selene squeezed her eyes shut and her arm started to tremble. She was about to cry out when suddenly, the grip on her wrist was released. Selene yanked her arm back and cradled her hand, but when she looked, there wasn’t a single trace of any burn. It was as pale and soft as ever.

  She looked back confusedly at the professor, but the old lady just smiled back at her. “Now there, Selene. It’s just a spirit wound - and a small one at that. You’ll be fine in no time. Now the door remembers your imprint, so you just need to press your hand against the door to unlock it.” Seeing Selene’s wary look at the old brown wood, the professor laughed and added, “It won’t hurt the next time, dear. Now, I’m quite busy, so you can just get yourself situated in the ladies dorms. Find the bunk with your name on it, and you can store your all luggage under the bed. Though, I don’t that would be entirely needed,” she added, glancing at the single leather pack. “Ahem. Anyways, you’ll fit in just fine here, I can tell. Welcome to Gloevendall Magic Academy, Selene, and remember, if you need anything, just come and find me!” With a airy goodbye, the old professor took off, scurrying down the spiral stone staircase.

  Selene stood there, lost. “But I don’t even know where I am…” she said to herself. Sigh. Looks like it’s going to be a long, long year.

  She turned around and pressed her palm to the door. After a moment, it swung open to reveal a huge, luxurious common room with more game tables, sofas, and fireplaces than she could count. Selene entered cautiously, feeling painfully aware of her scruffy backpack and simple white top and navy skirt she was given in place of her muddy clothes. ‘The bunks,’ she thought to herself. Where might those be? She looked up the staircases, where she found rows of doors behind the open hallway a story above.

  Selene climbed up the staircase slowly, as if she were afraid to crease the red velvet fabric that lined it. At the top, she found that each of the doors had a different symbol wrought in gold on it. Selene was confused - the professor had told her that she had to find her bunk, but not what symbol Selene was assigned to. After pacing around for a moment, Selene decided to try every door.

  She went to the furthest on the left and tried jiggling the intricate golden doorknob. Locked. She tried the next one, and the next, but those were locked as well. Selene kept going for all 9 of the 10 doors, but they were all locked as well. As she stood in front of the last one, Selene took a deep breath and prayed that this one would open. She reached out and tried moving the ornate handle. This one didn’t budge at all, as if it were made of stone.

  A searing bubble of anger welled up in Selene’s stomach. She had been jostled around the entire night, was abandoned the moment she got to the school, fell in a pile of poop twice, was half-heartedly introduced to the school and treated like an outsider, and now she couldn’t even find her bed?! Selene furrowed her brows and with a shout, put all her rage into twisting that stupid handle. Suddenly, it gave way as easily as if it were never locked. Selene stumbled into the room, almost falling but catching herself. She sighed quietly and looked up, right into a pair of amber eyes wide with shock and hostility.

  Selene froze. No, this couldn’t be real. She must have hit her head too hard and was still dreaming - otherwise, how could Amy, her number one tormentor, be here???

  The petite girl was wearing a pink tank top and matching extremely tiny shorts, perched on the corner of her bed and painting her toenails. One of her legs was still tucked in so she could reach her toenails, the other braced against the floor. Amy, too, was frozen - only her eyebrow twitched in extreme annoyance.

  Selene glanced at the side by side four-poster canopied beds. Both were littered with what looked like Amy’s belongings. By the likes of it, the popular girl already assumed that she had the room to herself - which would also explain the shock in her eyes that Selene had burst in. Selene carefully looked back at Amy, feeling like she had accidentally crossed the path of an angry bear.

  After what seemed like a lifetime, Amy’s expression abruptly worsened. Selene, noting that, snapped to attention, her back ramrod straight. She then bowed sharply, backing out of the room. “I’m so sorry, I seem to have found the wrong room. I’ll go look for the right bunk now, I apologize for any disturbances I might have caused-”

  “Wait,” Amy sharply called, seemingly against her will. She rolled her eyes at Selene’s exaggerated flinch and continued. “If you open the door, it means you’re meant to be here. Look at the bed.” She gestured to the pink canopied bed next to her, littered with trinkets and clothes. Selene was confused for a moment, but stepped inside and took a closer look at the wooden bedframe. Right there, before her eyes, was her name in intricate cursive being carved by a golden light. It swirled and looped, but only stopped at her first name. She frowned. Why didn’t it add Rillfanger?

  Her thoughts were interrupted by a dramatic sigh from the blonde girl next to her. Selene whipped around, startled. Amy had put the nail polish away and was now looking at Selene with a detached interest, as if she were a butterfly pinned to a board. Amy cocked her head and raised an eyebrow.

  Selene felt her gut sink.

  “Looks like it’ll be an interesting year, after all,” Amy smirked.