“And you are?” The woman didn’t even glance up from the one yellowed paper in front of her on the wooden desk.
I glanced at Professor Magnolis, but she simply gave me a closed-mouth grin and bowed her head.
What if I told this lady who I was and she responded with, “there’s been a mistake”? But then, I didn’t even know whether I belonged here or if I even wanted to be at the Borealis Academy of Magical Arts.
“Josy. Josy Barrows.” I did my best to sound confident, but it came out in more of a mousy squeak.
The woman picked up the ancient-looking paper and held it in the light, and I could see through the backside that the front was completely blank. She blew on the paper, and an invisible pen seemed to create words on the page.
From my point of view, everything was backward, but I instantly knew the words were my name.
My name?
Does this mean I am supposed to be here? My heart fluttered at the thought even though I had no idea what being here meant. I didn’t have any magic. At least not that I knew of. How was I supposed to do any sort of spellcasting? Magic wasn’t even real . . . until possibly today.
I placed my books on the desk’s edge and watched as the words continued to form and the old woman kept staring at the paper, saying things like “hmm” and squinting her eyes in what appeared to be thought.
“Professor Magnolis?” A stern male voice sounded from behind. I turned to see a tall man with salt and pepper hair and a full, neatly trimmed beard. He wore a dark suit, complete with a crisp, white shirt and a tie bearing the same blue and silver crest I’d seen over the door back in the weird junk shop’s hallway.
Professor Magnolis touched my arm. “I’ll return in a moment.”
My stomach jumped, not wanting her to leave, but I didn’t protest. As she approached the man, the registrar placed the sheet of paper down on the desk and nudged it toward me. Even upside down, I could make out that it was a schedule and room assignment. She pushed against the edge of her desk, forcing her chair backward and scraping against the wooden stage’s flooring, then stood. She held up her hand and traced my body in the air for a few seconds. Without warning, a stack of white shirts, a navy sweater, and green-and-blue plaid skirts appeared on the desk. She grazed the top of the stack with her hand.
“These should fit.”
I pushed my eyebrows down in question but reached for the clothes and stuffed them into my bag without any sort of protest.
I looked over to Professor Magnolis, who was still speaking to the man. They were trying to keep their voices down, but the result was unsuccessful.
“And who is this girl?” the man said in a low tone.
“She said her name is Josy Barrows.” Professor Magnolis rested one hand on her hip.
Even from ten feet away, I could see the three lines that formed between the man’s brows, and the sight of them dropped a brick into my stomach.
“There must be a mistake. We haven’t admitted any like her in quite some time,” he said.
“Magic classification?” the registrar interrupted, and I whipped my attention back to her. The woman leaned over the desk and eyeballed the sheet, tapping her index finger on the missing information. “It’s not listed.”
I shrugged. “What do you mean?”
“Light, flame, electrical impulse . . . those are the top three.”
I stared at her blankly.
“We’ll just leave that blank for now.” She picked up the paper and commented on my schedule and housing assignment, but I missed the specifics because I was distracted by the conversation between Professor Magnolis and the man.
“You are discriminating,” Professor Magnolis hissed. “We’ve fought very hard to get past that sort of thing. Her registration checks out and she was sent an invitation, or The Four Points would not have allowed her to pass.”
“Fine.” The man huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. “But you will be responsible if the situation goes south, as I anticipate.” He eyed me and then turned to walk off the stage.
Professor Magnolis turned around and squared herself. She plastered a smile onto her lips and walked back to me.
“Did you get everything you needed?” she asked with a lilt in her voice.
I gulped. “I think so.”
Apparently sensing my apprehension, she waved her hand in the air dismissively. “Don’t you worry about him. Chancellor Sterling doesn’t rule the roost around here. We have quite the democracy at the Academy.”
Chancellor? That means he was the one who made the final decisions. And what did he mean by her kind? The redheaded girl had said something similar.
Professor Magnolis glanced to the registrar. “Thelma, is Josy’s registration complete?”
Thelma’s face lit up. “Oh, one more thing.” She snapped her fingers, and in her hands appeared an ancient leather and metal camera with a large, round, open flash on top. “We must make you an ID card. Smile.”
But a smile had no time to grace my lips before she had snapped the picture, blinding me with the flash. In fact, I barely had time to change my deer in the headlights appearance.
“Uh, could I retake—” I sputtered, but a card had already appeared from a slot in the front of the camera, and Thelma handed it to me.
I peered down at the ID in my hand.
Borealis Academy of Magical Arts
Josy Barrows
Hair: White
Eyes: Brown
Before I read the rest, I made the mistake of glancing at the photo. My matted hair laid over my shoulder in a clump, one eye was half closed, and my smile looked like when a preschooler flashed a fake one because his mother told him so.
Professor Magnolis leaned in and took a peek before I could stuff the horrid thing far, far away. “Eh . . . mine looks worse.”
Chapter 5
“Well, I must be off.” Professor Magnolis handed me my books at the wooden door of my dorm room in Willoward Hall, labeled with a brass 104.
“And you’re sure my face is not going to be plastered on some huge billboard back in my hometown?” I asked.
She chuckled. “Well, from what you’ve told me, you don’t have that many contacts left. But our barristers will take care of the details and make sure you have a forwarding address. Of course, no one on the outside is aware of the Borealis Academy of Magical Arts. But if anyone comes looking for you, there will be no issues.”
“So, basically, you cast a spell on them?” Not that I believed in spellcasting, but I had seen some pretty weird things today. I just hadn’t had time to work out the details yet of why they were happening.
“Something like that.”
My stomach tensed, and I flattened my lips. “I’m tired and should probably get some rest.”
“Now that is an excellent idea, Josy, but do know that classes at the Academy begin tomorrow. So, you must begin first thing in the morning.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “I don’t get any time to adjust?”
Professor Magnolia’s eyes twinkled, and for the most part, I trusted her. She’d been kind and had not treated me like an outcast. But there was a part of me that thought she may have just been doing her job and was likely hiding something from me.
“You will be slightly behind, so just in case, I have the name of an excellent tutor. He’s another student.” She snapped her fingers, and a slip of paper appeared in her hand with the name Aspen Rivers written in black ink. “As far as I know, he has not been assigned to a student, and tutoring is one of his responsibilities to maintain his scholarship. I have a feeling you may benefit from a little coaching.”
Students had to pay tuition to enroll here? It made perfect sense, but the concept hadn’t even dawned on me yet.
“Do I have a scholarship?” I knew that I didn’t have any money, and Grandma barely had a cent when she passed away. So who was taking care of my bills?
The professor reached for the admissions paper still in my hand and st
udied the words on the page. She bobbed her head as if she had found the information she wanted and then turned the page around to face me.
“Paid in full.” Professor Magnolis pointed to a small set of words near the bottom of the page I hadn’t seen before. How did I miss that? Was it even there before I asked?
“But by who?” I asked.
“That it doesn’t say.” She slid the paper under the cover of the top book in my arms. “Have a good afternoon. Dinner is served in Oakmont Hall at 6 p.m. It might be a good opportunity for you to meet a few people and get a better look at the grounds.” Professor Magnolis grinned, showing off her pearl-like teeth again, and turned to walk down the corridor.
As she left, the door across the hall clicked open just a few inches and two faces appeared, one right above the other in cartoon fashion. I couldn’t see much, but the girl on the bottom was Asian, with long dark hair, and the girl on the top had a curly mop of blonde curls, chubby cheeks and a splash of copper freckles across her pale nose. Their door was labeled 105.
I was surprised that I saw as much of their features as I did because as fast as the door opened, it clicked shut without so much as a hello from either of them.
I puffed my cheeks, blew out a frustrated breath and reached for the door handle. Just then I realized I had no key, but apparently it didn’t matter. The handle glowed slightly and twisted. Somehow it seemed to know me.
I pushed the door open slowly and entered a dim room with the curtain pulled shut over the only window. Only the light from the hallway flooded in, revealing a pair of desks to my right and a pair of beds to my left. Luckily, since I didn’t have any bedding with me, both had soft white comforters and fluffy pillows. I felt the wall beside me, located the light switch and flipped it on. Two sconces on the wall illuminated the desks. I was relieved that they had regular bulbs, not flames like the ones in the auditorium. With my foot, I closed the door and finally dropped my bag and books on top of the closest desk.
Did I have a roommate? I scanned the room, and everything seemed untouched. So I guessed not. That was probably best since, for whatever reason, most people here had decided they didn’t like me anyway. No need to force someone to live with me.
I slid the paper with the tutor’s name onto the desk as well, then walked to the window, pulled back the curtain and opened the pane to allow a little air in the stuffy room. I turned back to my bag, and a soft thump came from the sill.
So, this is our place? Nine’s voice entered my head.
“You decided to come back?” I didn’t even look his way before I flopped on the nearest bed and threw my arms to my side. I was talking to a cat.
Of course I came back. But I needed to check out the old stomping grounds. Cat business.
“Find any lady cats?” I muttered.
Unfortunately, no. Looks like that girl was right when she said they don’t allow animal companions around here anymore.
Are they even going to let me keep Nine? I kept the thought in my head since I didn’t want to worry him.
I pushed up on my elbows. “Have you always been able to talk?”
Nine leaped from the sill to the ground and raised his paw to wash it. Yes and no. Like some cats born on The Side of Magic, I’ve always had the ability to speak, but on the Other Side, we become a lot more like regular cats since magic doesn’t work well there. Meowing only. I’d gotten used to it, but it’s nice to be back.
“So is there more to . . . The Side of Magic, besides this school?”
Sure there is. He set down his paw on the hardwood floor and locked his gaze with me.
Could he have been any more cryptic? But I wasn’t going to deal with that problem now. I had enough to figure out right here before I tried to get my head wrapped around all the inner workings of The Side of Magic versus The Other Side.
“And you lived here with my mom?”
Nine hopped onto the bed beside me and immediately lay down, forming a little loaf with his body. In this same dorm.
I wanted to ask him all sorts of questions about her and my father. I never really knew them since they died when I was so young, but that too would have to wait.
“Do you know why people keep mentioning my hair?”
Nine closed his eyes for a moment. That is a difficult question.
I furrowed my brow. “Difficult, or you don’t want to talk about it?
He didn’t answer.
“Well, I’m going to need to know sooner or later.” The fact that my hair was white had stirred quite a reaction in people I’d met so far. Professor Magnolis was nice, but she reacted to the color, too.
Nine yawned. I’m so sleepy. Traveling between makes me tired.
I released a growl from my throat, but he didn’t respond. “Nine!”
“It’s because only the Morelli have white hair.” A soft, timid voice came from behind me, and I jumped at the sound.
Did I have a roommate after all?
I twisted my body toward the two armoires against the same wall as the exit. I hadn’t even noticed them when I came in.
Within the odd shadow of the space between them was the silhouette of a girl.
“Who are you?’ I demanded a bit too harshly, but it was only because she had frightened me.
“Merrygold Twig,” she admitted in a soft voice. “I live here, too.”
I squinted to get a better view of her, but for reasons I couldn’t explain, it was too dark between the armoires for me to see. “Then why are you hiding? Are you afraid of me, too?”
The girl shook her head. “I’m not afraid of anything, but I was concerned you might be afraid of me. Most people are.”
My heart pounded against my ribcage. “Well, one way to scare people is to hide in the shadows.”
She let out a sigh. “Now or never,” she mumbled under her breath.
Merrygold eased from the space, and my face dropped as I saw her— or saw right through her.
I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out.
“Don’t even bother. I’m a ghost. I’m dead.”
My legs began to quiver, and tears welled in Merrygold’s eyes.
“I won’t hurt you. But for whatever reason, I’m stuck in 104.”
Merrygold was a pretty girl. Despite her transparency problem, I could tell that she had medium dark skin and a head of tight curls on her head. She wore the same uniform every other female student around here wore. Her face was sweet, almost humble . . . not like a person who wanted to hurt anyone. “No one will room here, since . . . I died.”
My body relaxed because I couldn’t help but feel empathy for her. “How long ago?”
“Five years.”
“You’ve been alone in this room for five years? Or can you leave?” I pulled my legs onto the bed and crossed them under me.
She dipped her head and wrung her hands. “Except the few times they force someone to come tidy up. But that isn’t often, and I do my best to stay out of the way. And no. I’m stuck in here.”
“I’m sorry.” My mind drifted back to the first thing Merrygold had said to me. “Who are the Morelli?
She stared at me intently for a moment before she spoke. “Those who would destroy The Magic Side as it is.”
So, about the food situation? Nine yawned from the bed. I’m not going to have to go completely feral, am I?
Not that Merrygold and I had been talking about food. I glanced at my roommate, and she pinched her lips together.
“The administration disallowed pet companions in the dorms a few years ago. A cat bit Chancellor Sterling. So, cat food options will probably be difficult to come by.”
If the chancellor got bit, he probably deserved it. Nine stood, arched his back and fixed on Merrygold. But you’re saying that mouse is going to be on my menu most days?
“Looks like you’ll be returning to your barbarian ways,” Merrygold said. “And if you want to stick around, I’d recommend doing your prowling at night. But it’s unlikely anyo
ne will search the room, since . . . I live here.”
I rubbed my temples to attempt to relieve the headache pounding behind them. “Professor Magnolis said dinner is served in Oakmont Hall at 6 p.m. Maybe I can smuggle something back to tide you over.”
Not that I really wanted to go to dinner and have everyone stare at me because they thought I might be one of these Morelli, whoever they are. But it wasn’t as if I could stay in this room forever. What did I have on The Other Side? Nothing. And anyway, I wasn’t a Morelli. I simply had a rare anomaly that made my hair white.
I took a deep breath and held it for a second. Finally, I stood and walked to my bag where my uniforms were. At least I could blend in with the appropriate clothing. I fished out a shirt, skirt and blue sweater, as well as the photo of my parents and my precious copy of The Hobbit. I’d always loved the story, and after today, I had a better idea of why my mom gave it to me, since it was a story about magic and wizards.
Before I changed and brushed out my snarled hair, I held up the photo of my parents to both Merrygold and Nine. “See, no white hair. There’s no way I’m a Morelli.”
Nine pawed at his ear. Oh, you didn’t know? She dyed it.
Chapter 6
Outside Willoward Hall I tied back my hair in a low, messy bun with an elastic band I’d brought with me. Too bad I didn’t have a hat. Could I be half Morelli? The question twisted in my brain but I pushed it into the dark corners. If my mother did have naturally white hair and dyed it, maybe she just had the same anomaly as me. Case closed.
I straightened my clothes, which surprisingly fit better than anything I’d ever owned. I wasn’t a huge fan of skirts, but I had to admit that the freshly pressed uniform felt much better than the rumpled mess I’d worn earlier.
I studied the large directory outside with a map displaying the women’s dorm building with an X and its relation to all the other buildings on campus. The men’s dorm, Sycamore Hall, was on the opposite end. Tomorrow morning, I’d have to memorize where my classes were to be held. I retrieved my schedule from my pocket.
Spellcaster Academy: Episodes 1-4 (Spellcaster Academy Omnibus) Page 3