Papers were scattered all around the room, the occupant asleep at her computer her alarm clock flashing 12:00. Her nose flared every time she breathed, tiny little snores escaping her. The view outside her window was light and cheery like the beginning of a sappy romance movie. The sun had come up just hours after she had passed out writing her speech, everyone in her neighborhood was up and functioning.
She turned in the chair; the chair was unstable and broke under pressure. She was in such a deep sleep that they fall did not wake her right away. When the sun peaked out from behind a cloud and shone in through her dorms dirty windows. She woke up dazed and confused, she didn't really know where she was. The night before had been an extremely late night even though school was over she was up working into the night making everything perfect.
Her phone buzzed shaking her out of her daze. She grabbed her phone as she rushed around the room gathering all the things she needed to graduation. She looked at her alarm clock flashing and cursed under her breath. Power had to go out the day before graduation!
"Aimee Louise Cadwell! Where the hell are you?" her mother screeched, her voice scratchy from years of smoking and drinking.
"I over slept." She defended herself from anymore of her mother's cruel words as she jumped into her dress and slid on her red robe. This was her day, she wouldn't let her mother's bad mood ruin in.
"Hurry up and get your ass down here!"
It was the perfect day for an outdoor ceremony; the flowers were at full bloom. The day before had stormed but today the clouds had disappeared, everybody seemed super excited, more excited then Aimee had seen any of them in a long time.
She had gotten to the ceremony site just moment before she had to go on stage and give her speech. She walked on stage flutter and rosy cheeked trying to get to the podium in a hurry. She tripped half way there on her heels that her mother had talked her into wearing. She pulled herself up from the floor as her classmates tried to stifle their laughter.
"Sorry, Heels are a bitch," she started fixing her cap onto of her luscious black curls. A large portion of the audience giggled but a portion of them glowered at her use of profanity in such an important speech. Many of these parent expected their valedictorian to be stuff just like them, no one expected it to be Aimee. The poor party girl.
"Good evening graduates, parents, and honored guests. My biggest influence throughout my schooling was my dad. In early years he pushed my to be the best I could be but these last four years of my education, he never pushed me to study any specific subject or pressured me to take extracurricular courses. I was encouraged to simply "do well in school because good things will come of that." In fact, these "good things" did not only come in education, but with the relationships I have made with my peers and teachers.
"Let me first thank my teachers for entertaining my endless inquiries and dealing with my stubbornness at times, but—more importantly—for sharing a part of their knowledge and experiences. From long lectures, to heated discussions, or a simple debate on politics, I thank you all.
Now it is with great honor that I thank the graduating class of Pewter—the class of 2010. I am proud to be among some of the finest students Grandville has to offer. They have helped me grow scholastically, as well as socially these past years. We should also be grateful that we have had such an excellent number of student-leaders. All of whom have selflessly dedicated their free time in organizing many of our activities and school events.
"For the past four years, no one in this graduating class could have predicted that the years would have come and gone so quickly. Tonight, as this chapter of our lives concludes, another one begins. This next phase of our lives comes with an immense amount of freedom. I'm not talking about the same freedom we experienced when we first walked through the doors of Emerson, but the freedom to decide what to do with our own lives. Whether we enter the workforce or enroll in college, we must all take charge of our own lives.
"This upcoming chapter also requires us to be prudent and responsible. As John Dewey, an educational philosopher once said: "Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself." If education is life, then we must grasp every moment of our lives as a learning experience. College will definitely be a new experience for many of us. We will meet a diverse group of people that come from all around the world; who will introduce us to different points of view and allow us to gain a better perspective of their cultures.
"I recognize that for many of us it has been difficult to keep up with our studies, but our perseverance has enabled us to overcome many obstacles that led to this day AND it will be our resilience that will keep us from ever failing in our future. Believe me, never, let anyone or anything stop you from accomplishing your goals. Not a college rejection, poor test grade, or any of life's tribulations. If you should ever find yourself in these situations, don't ever give up and remain hopeful. Don't lead yourself to believe that you are at the end of the road when things get tough. Stay confident and remember, there will always be an opportunity if you seek it.
"On the behalf of Pewter's Class of 2010, I congratulate you all on your accomplishments and I hope you have the best of luck with your future endeavors—may it be right after graduation or in another four short years. And in time….We WILL BE…the economists that make sure we never go through a recession..The scientist that will find alternative energy sources and…the educators that will train the next group of leaders. Whichever path we choose, WE WILL forever share a common bond! We are the Graduation Class of 2010! WE did it!" Aimee looked out at the crowd. She had spoken her last words to these people, after today she would never see these people again. Kaisha Mohr, the salutatorian had tears rolling down her eyes, she looked over at her father and saw him smiling proudly. She was her father's daughter; this was everything they had hoped it would be.
"We are so proud of you hunny," her mother said pulling her into a great big hug. Aimee smiled this was the first time she had seen her parents looking this happy. Her father patted her on the back and took her mother's hand and he began pulling her mother away. "When you get home we have big news for you," her mother said as she was being dragged to the car.
She sat in her living room quietly; her parents had decided to finish up their conversation in the kitchen. When she first sat down with them they kept giving each other awkward stares until her mother dragged her father into the kitchen for a heated argument. They had huge news.
She didn't see the later at first it sat discreetly on the end table hidden by shadows and opther pieces of mail. Normally she wouldn't have touched it, this was her parents house she had no rights to look at anything, but it had her name on it and her curiosity got the best of her.
Aimee Cadwell
104 Kellogg street Grand Rapids, Michigan
She opened the letter quickly trying to remember if she had even heard of Ketters University yet alone applied to it when insided the letter a sparkly dust popped out at her like a glitter bomb blurring her vision and tickling her nose. Her body felt odd, it tingled in a way she didn't know how to describe, soon though her body calmed down and her vision cleared allowing her to read the rest of the letter.
Dear Ms. Aimee Louise Cadwell,
We are glad to inform you that you have been accepted into Ketters University for Wizards. Enclosed is your class schedule and required book list. Term starts September 5th, we can't wait to see you again.
Headmistress
Paisley Incarsus
Paisley Incarsus
Her mother who had appeared from the kitchen snatched the letter from her hands. Aimee just smiled at the joke. She just wondered which one of her friends had played something this ridiculous. Wizards of all things, it was very laughable.
"You didn't read that did you?" her mother asked panic written in among all of her frown lines, Aimee couldn't help but laugh at loud at this. Obviously her friend had gotten her mother involved in this. No practical person would fall for this and everyone knew Aimee was nothing if not practical. "I'm serious Aimee Louise!" she raised her voice sternfully confusing Aimee who stole a look at her father. He had nothing but a look of defeat on his face, obviously her mother had handing him his ass in the kitchen. She was alone to deal with her mother's crazy antics.
"Yes mother I read it."She responded but her mother ignored her knowing what she was going to say before she said it. Instead she took her anger out on her suspecting husband. She picked up the nearest object and hurled it at a wall in his general direction. He stood still his face expressionless.
"George, you should have stopped this!" She yelled looking for something else to throw. Aimee moved all throwable objects out of her reach.
"How could I have Ellen, this is part of who she is." He screamed back at her for the first time Aimee had ever seen, the whole argument was confusing her. This letter was a Farce what the hell could they be arguing about? Her mother who was not used to being screamed grabbed a law book from nearby, and out of misguided anger hurled it at her husband.
"Resilio!"Her father yelled twirling his fingers around and into a fist. Instantly the book spun and ripped itself into pieces collecting at his feet. All three of them stood stunned at what he had just done. Aimee wanted to run and hid, none of this could be good. Her mother sat down on the couch next to her too stunned to speak. Her father sat next to her wrapping his arms around his petrified wife.
"You're right George, she should know the truth." Her mother said her voice shaky and raspier than normal. Aimee stood up freaking out; her mother was giving up for the first time that Aimee could ever remember. She didn't want to be her when her mother decided to do something else crazy. Her dad grabbed her arm and sat her back down.
"This is going to sound crazy, you being who you are, the practical one in our crazy family." Her father started a smile breaking out across his face. She didn't understand and looked back and forth between her mother and her father. Their looks were complete opposites. "Aimee sweetie, you're a wizard." She laughed, was everyone in on this farce. It was so completely improbably it was funny. Her father's complete look of seriousness though cut her laughter short.
"You can't be serious." She said fighting against his grip. She was certain they had both lost what mind they had left. Her mother looked at her with her teary doe eyes and she began to really listen to what her father was saying.
"Ketters is a school for Wizards of all ages. Your mother and I argued for many years about whether or not you should go. When you were nine you turned your kitten into a lion and your mother said it was time. You were so cute back then so innocent as you set a lion loose on the neighborhood, like you didn't know what you were doing. However when you returned the summer you turn ten. You were different, your beautiful black hair was cut off just below your ears, and your whole demeanor had just changed. Your mother was scared off who you had become but we both knew we couldn't keep you from furthering your education as a wizard." Her father's explanation wasn't working for her. She didn't understand why she was just learning of this.
"You're pulling my leg, I would remember if this actually happened" she said interrupting her father in the middle of a statement. He sat there annoyed looking waiting for her to finish speaking.
"A couple months after you went back to school for the year something happened. No one is really certain how the events transpired but there was a huge explosion as the nonmagical people will see it and you were right in the middle of it. There was a huge investigation because of the many deaths, many probers went inside your mind to see if they could uncover what had happened but the memory wasn't there, and you were their only link to the mystery. Your mother and I took you out of Ketters and binded your powers. You didn't remember a thing since before you started Ketters and we thought this would be better for you in the long run." Her father stopped speaking letting all the information sink in. Aimee was dazed and confused, why didn't she remember. Was she a murderer? Did she really believe this? Seeing what her father had done she was having a hard time not believing it. Could she really be the person responsible for someone's untimely demise?
"The Letters will not stop coming until you are there. You are untrained and our world can not have a rogue untrained wizard, you are a danger to everyone now that your powers are back." He finished allowing Aimee's thoughts to wonder and come together. She still had no idea what to think or what to do. How was this information supposed to make her feel, guilty? She certainly felt that.
"When do I leave?" she asked her throat closing up.
"As soon as possible," her mother speaking up finally, "You have so much to catch up on."
She sat quietly on her bed, three days had passed since her parents had dropped the bombshell, she was a wizard. It was hard to process but a little bit easier now that she had seen it. Her father walked into the room walking around the suitcases, holding an odd shaped box. He took a corner of the bed that wasn't covered in clothes and made himself comfortable.
"I know its a lot to absurb," he said patting her knee knocking her out of her trance. " I wish I cold explain it better but I don't know how. You need to get going," he said opening the box quickly and pulling out a metal stick. "This is your wand needed for most spells. It is made of jasmine, sage and dragon heartstring, we've kept it in our vault till you would need it again." He handed the purple and silver wand out to her. She stuffed it down her boot, not having any room for it in her already packed suitcases.
She strolled throught the airport dazed. She had no idea where she was going. She sat down on the seating area and closed her eyes. She did not see the man until he was sitting next to her. Though he was very easy to miss, he stood at, his tallest, 3 feet. Aimee almost did miss him.
"Ms. Cadwell are you ready?" the creature asked her scaring her so badly her heart skipped a beat. The creature eyed Aimee with scrutiny but she expected that. If she really was a murderer people would have every right to be weary of her. "I am Gilroy Fizpatrick the herder of lost students." He said.
"I am ready." She responded grabbing her stuff and following the little man.
She felt like the plane ride took forever. I guess when your waiting for the rest of your life to start forever cant come quick enough. She followed the creature blindly up the mountain. Her body kept getting colder and colder until her body began to shake. She felt annoyed that no one had told her about the climate of the school, she would have brought a jacket if they had. Why the hell was the school on top of a mountain anyway?
"Don't worry we'll be on campus soon enough." He said as she shivered, she could see the school in the distance, she refused to complain. She was already a torn in everyones side. She had to come in a month early to catch up. Which means that she needed a teacher to come in too.
Suddenly she wasn't cold anymore; the snow had melted around them. The school stood only 100 feet away from where they stood but Aimee was skeptical when the school remained looking like a tiny A-Frame cabin. As soon as she stepped in the door she was amazed. Magic was a wonderful thing, if only it could do this all the time. She stood in the middle of a double staircase. Floating candles lighted the hall with all sorts of colors. This school was bigger then her high school, she looked to the right down the wing with the sparkly red lights and saw at least 20 classrooms.
"leave your stuff here and head into the hall, Headmistress will decide later where it is to go. You have your wand right?" he asked grudgingly. She pulled her wand out of her boot and he rolled his big eyes. "Just get in there before you blow a foot off." He yelled pushing her towards the French doors. She felt violated a moment later realizing just where his hands had been on her.
She walked into the huge room just amazed. The walls were mirrors of different situations. What you dreamed, how others saw you, and how you saw yourself. Every mirror showed you but in a different light. Aimee stopped half way in the room distracted by a cruel looking women with crazy hair and eyes. She knew that must be how others saw her, or maybe it was how she saw herself after hearing what her dad had to say. She couldn't peel her eyes off the crazy eyed women she didn't see the blond hair boy standing at the front of the room.
"Aimee I presume?" he said tossing a book at her. She caught it in her hands but dropped her wand in the process. That was good for her considering she had absolutely no hand eye coordination. "first lesson failed," the cranky man yipped bending over to retrieve her wand. In an agitated manner he tossed it back at her. "Never lose your wand. Sit down and read some spells." She did as she was told, all of this just made her feel stupid and now there was this man already angry with her stupidity. How in the world was she going to do this?
"I'm done," she said standing up after ready book of spells years 1-2. Her legs began to cramp up. She needed a break, not that the man would ever give her one.
"Let's move on then." He turned towards the white wall and pulled out his wand. "Anyone can be a master at potion making if you understand the concept. Equal part good equal part bad." He began his voice already lulling her to sleep.
