1 |1| Monsters and Carriage Rides
People often assumed unicorns were majestic, gentle creatures, but they weren't. They were violent and extremely unruly. Even without provocation, they would attack any being they weren't familiar with. Despite that, they were the most reliable medium of transportation in the monster realm. That was why they were continually imported from the pegaffin realm, the home of the harpies and pegasi, in spite of their high price.
Fiona rode at the back of the carriage pulled by unicorns. The ride was ever so bumpy, with the horned horses running wildly. The annoying carriage jolts, the hearty conversation of the people sitting around her, and the entire situation she was in all made her furious. She was being forced to begin a new school, in a new realm. What's worse, that school was the infamous Migdon Rehabilitation Center for Disturbed Young Supernaturals (MARC).
A week earlier, Fiona had been living on the clouds. Her outfit designs had recently caught the interest of a New York fashion designer, and she had been invited to tag along to Paris Fashion Week. Her journey to becoming an influential fashion designer had finally begun. Then one mistake and she was off to the place reserved for the crazy and dangerous. There was a reason MARC was located in Migdon, the monster realm.
The carriage branched into a narrow dirt path. The road was lonely, not even a cricket chirped. Thick woods lined both sides, and an even thicker fog seeped through them. It was impossible to see more than a meter ahead of you, but the driver didn't need to see. All he had to do was go straight. The unicorns would stop once they arrived at their destination, because no one dared cross the beast that lay ahead.
"Business?" The monster growled down at the vehicle.
It was gigantic, at least 40 feet tall. Although it mostly resembled a dog, it had three heads, instead of one. Its canines were also unique, as they were as long as a full-grown man. As a result of the dark clouds in the sky, its jet-black skin molded into the gloom.
"Sentries. Of the Sentry Alliance." The driver held up a badge. "We're here to deliver a new inmate."
Cerberus narrowed his eyes at the carriage. His job was to ensure nobody went in and out through the gates (the only weak point in MARC's security system), without permission. And he was good at it. In his 58 years of service, no one had gotten past him. Anyone who tried was instantly crushed with a single bite. Eventually, he stepped aside, revealing tall metal gates and allowing the visitors passage.
The unicorns rode into an estate, filled with several stone buildings and large fields. The driver forcefully slanted and pulled the reins, trying to get the animals into the unicorn trap (a small shed at the end of the road). Once he did, big iron clasps held them to a spot. Getting unicorns to stop was always harder than getting them running.
Clutching her tummy, Fiona jumped off the carriage. She was feeling an intense urge to puke, thanks to the terrible ride she'd gone through. If she could, she would give Migdon's transport system a one-star rating, but she really doubted there was internet in this God-forsaken realm.
"Move it!" A woman, one of the 3 persons that had been riding with Fiona, snapped.
She was dressed in a black and indigo bodysuit, like the rest of her team. Fiona obeyed, but not before she shot daggers at the sentries. They proceeded into a two-story duplex, which had a board reading "Staff Building" nailed above the main door. Climbing stairs, they entered a room at the end of the second-floor lobby. A sphinx had its back to the group, going through one of the many shelves adjacent to the walls. Though he had the head of a middle-aged man and the body of a lion, he could easily stand upright. He turned when the group walked in.
"You're early." He announced.
"Yah. Well, your unicorns run fast." One of the three, a man this time, said.
He moved forward, while the other two stood at Fiona's sides. Edward, a sphinx and the director of MARC, didn't miss the pompousness in his step and tone. This particular team of sentries was made up exclusively of humans. It was common knowledge that human beings looked down on the monsters of Migdon. The realm was seen as backward and underdeveloped, being one of the latest to embrace civilization. If Edward never saw another human in his lifetime, it wouldn't be too soon. But he couldn't help it. The monster realm depended too much on Earth, and the Sentries League, in general.
"I take it this is the new student." Edward sat down at his desk, pushing his glasses up his nose.
"We prefer to call them inmates, as this facility is technically a prison." The man declared, very arrogantly.
Edward sighed —he really did not enjoy the company of mankind. He studied the new "inmate". Long, dark brown, curly, and unbrushed hair fell around her face, like a crow's nest on a tree branch. She was above average height for a human child, and slim, but not skinny. Her eyes bore rage, glaring at nothing and everything at once.
She was not happy to be here. That was a good thing; Edward decided. She would work hard to leave. The Migdon Rehabilitation Center for Disturbed Young Supernaturals was not a place to be, after all. He had read her file; she was a 17-year-old Nigerian-American sorceress, with her mother as Nigerian and her father as American. Narrowing his eyes, he read her aura.
Aura's were invisible glowing patterns surrounding every supernatural. The patterns were unique for each specie. Normally, all mystical beings had to do to see another's aura was to squint.
Fiona's patterns confirmed she was a human, but she must not have been a strong sorceress, because her glow was faint. That didn't correspond with the report Edward had received. According to it, Fiona Obiageli Lynec had allegedly released a mana surge so powerful, sentries around had had to take drastic measures to contain it. He looked her over once more. Perhaps there was a hidden power in her that could be brought out with proper training.
That wouldn't happen in MARC, however. Their job was to suppress power, not expose it.
"I've received her. You can leave, now." Edward said, eager to get rid of the humans.
"Sign here." The only woman in the group held out a paper.
Edward huffed, rolling his eyes. "Must I?"
"You know the protocol."
Begrudgingly, he grabbed the document and filled out his signature. Papers! Papers! Papers! There was no end to it. He had to send detailed reports, monthly, to the Sentry Alliance headquarters, as he was managing their organization. Daily, complaints and requests filed in from his staff. And every now and then, documents came in concerning this or that. True, sphinxes were among the few monsters that enjoyed reading a book, but the earthlings were overdoing it.
"See... That wasn't so hard." The man in front of the others scoffed, snatching the paper from the desk.
He then turned to Fiona and whispered into her ear, "Try not to kill anybody on your first day, Lynec."
Fury coursed through Fiona's chest as they left. Oh, how she hated sentries! Sentries were the soldiers of the Sentry Alliance (SA), an organization that cut through many realms, though not all. It served as the government and watchdog of the mystic world, with its headquarters in New Orleans, a human city. The SA had never been on good terms with the Lynec family. There was considerable bad blood between them, especially where the sorcerers of Earth were concerned.
An official peace treaty had been signed over a century ago. The Lynecs obeyed the rules, and the Sentry League stayed out of their business. Notwithstanding, there was ever the harassment. It was as though the sentries lay in wait, looking for the slightest slip-up, so that the Lynecs could be oppressed again. Fiona had grown up despising the mystic world, thereby only associating with muggles (non-sorcerer humans), and living a relatively normal life. But she'd made that one slip up, and had ended up here, standing in front of a half-man half-animal.
The sphinx was staring at her now, assessing her with his intelligent gaze. She found his attention highly annoying, but as long as he didn't speak to her, she would comport herself. They stayed that way for a while, till Edward looked away. He dialed a number on his ancient telephone, putting it to his ear.
"Joan? Yes. Head to my office immediately." He talked into it.
The silence returned after that. Edward, once again gave his latest enrollee a look over. This one had an attitude, he could tell. The way she met his gaze —with defiance— was proof enough. Joan would love her.
Right on cue, a knock sounded on the door. It was time to get this human child's new school life going.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
I'm sorry if this chapter seems a bit boring. I promise it gets more interesting as you read on. Please do vote, comment and review.
