CHAPTER 11

Monday. It's finally here.

I quickly got dressed and checked the time table for this semester.

 MONDAY:

8.00-10.00: INTRODUCTION TO MAGIC

11.00-13.00: HISTORY OF OLD RELIGION

TUESDAY:

8.00-10.00: SELF-DEFENSE

11.00-13.00: INTRODUCTION TO MAGIC

WEDNESDAY:

8.00-10.00: SPANISH (from home)

11.00-13.00: POTIONS

THURSDAY:

8.00-10.00: INTRODUCTION TO MAGIC

11.00-13.00: HISTORY OF OLD RELIGION

FRIDAY:

8.00-10.00: SELF-DEFENSE

11.00-13.00: POTIONS

"Damn," I whispered, "just four hours of school per day?"

"You say that now," Rosy interrupted my thoughts. "Practicing magic can be very exhausting, especially two hours per day."

"I'm just glad I can sleep in on Wednesday," Sanem said as she came to the kitchen.

"You should then see Rosy's time table, it's half empty." Naomi commented from behind the counter.

"Yes, I have already learned all about the history of old religion." Rosy explained. "But you're gonna like it, Elisaveth is an amazing teacher."

"But you haven't doneany magic yet?" I asked Rosy.

"No, out of us four you are the most experienced," Rosy joked and Naomi rolled her eyes.

What is up with her?

"You will also meet the boys today," Rosy said, "we have history of old religion together and self-defense if I remember correctly."

"Yeah, Ahren said the same thing." Naomi said.

"Who's Ahren?" I asked with too much rush and Sanem looked at me weirdly.

"Oh, just the boy I'm seeing." Naomi said so matter o' factly, but for some reason her eyes couldn't reach mine as she said it.

"Ok, we should go now." Sanem rushed as the energy in the apartment started shifting.

--

When we got to school, all of us were unusually quiet and the atmosphere was very awkward.

"Kathrine!" I turned around as I heard a girl call my name. It was Brianna. I was very happy to see her again so I offered her a smile.

"Can I sit here?" She asked and pointed to the chair next to mine. "Sure," I said, "Long time no see." I joked. And she smiled back.

"Hi." Sanem said out of nowhere to Brianna and she looked to her with eyebrows furrowed. "Sanem, your roommate?" Sanem said when she didn't get the response.

"Oh, right." Brianna chuckled. "You did look familiar."

 "Oh, right. I am also your roommate." I said as I remembered Brianna doesn't know that yet.

"What? Didn't you have an apartment in London?" She asked.

"Yeah, but they have moved me now that I have decided to stay here." I explained.

"Oh, cool. I live in London with my mom, she's also a gynaka but I still have a room here, just in case, you know?" Brianna said

"In case of what?" Sanem asked and just as was Brianna about to explain, Kassiopeia entered the room.

"Hello, girls," she started, "and welcome to Proelefsi school of magic, this time officially. We have very interesting three years in store for you. As first years, you are a bit cut off of the rest of the students, who practice magic on a higher level, and them being around you could be dangerous." She smiled. "But before you get to that level, you need to first get in touch with your inner magic source. Which is what you came here to do today." She took one small break and continued: "Please remember, that coming in touch with something like that takes a lot of practice and even more to master it, so be patient with yourself. Especially those of you, who were raised outside of this world. You will all learn to master it before this semester comes to an end so don't worry."

As she was saying this, she created a black silhouette in her own image: "Let me elaborate. You know how we say that women have a sixth sense and can therefore perceive things beyond our commonly recognized senses. This sense come from our magical core and is a proof of our magical connection to our surroundings. We gynakas, have the power to come in touch with our magical core and use it for much more."

She started moving her hands around the silhouette and a golden sphere appeared in its abdomen. "With much concentration some of you may come in touch with it today, just like that. It's important that you clear your mind and focus on the nature around you, feel the wind blowing outside, the waves rippling, birds singing, … It's important that you get the sense of the nature as this is how you will be freed from the chain that is your body and be able to come in touch with its core that will connect with yours and let you do magic." Both her and the silhouette were demonstrating her words. "As you will start feeling connected to the core, I want you then to focus on the candle in front of you and lit it up." She moved her hands and candles from her table flew over to ours.

"Remember, this is your first time doing this, don't expect results right away, we will be focusing on this task for the entire week. Also remember that you are not alone in this, I will be going around, giving you pointers." She smiled encouragingly. "Now, let's close our eyes, take a deep breath and begin."

Me and Sanem looked at each other nervously and begun.

I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. As my nerves relaxed a bit I tried to concentrate on what I hear.

Sanem's deep breathing, Kassiopeia's words that kept on repeating "listen to the birds, the waves, the wind, …", which I found kind of irritating.

"Ok, Kathrine, focus, place yourself outside and think about what you hear." My inner voice told me.

Ok.

I'm standing on a beach, I feel the wind in my hair and hear the waves. I mentally placed the candle in front of me and pictured me lighting it with the fire coming from my finger.

I opened my eyes and checked if I did it.

Nothing, no fire.

Ok, let's try again.

This time I placed myself inside of a memory of a forest I loved to hike in as a child. I heard the leaves crackling on the trees, the birds singing, the squirrels running. I took one more breath and focused.

"Look, Tanis did it." I heard Kassiopeia say from the distance.

I breathed in one more time and focused on making fire as I exhaled.

"Kathrine did it, too. Good job girls." I heard Kassiopeia and opened my eyes to see the candle lit in front of me.

I was so proud of myself I almost started clapping. I turned to congratulate Tanis with a smile, but the look she offered me was all but kind.

I turned around kind of shocked. What have I done to you?

"How did you do it?" Sanem asked me, "I keep on trying to focus on the sounds outside of the window, but all I hear is people breathing around me and Kassiopeia talking.

"Try to place yourself in the nature and think of what you hear there. Leave the classroom mentally and just imagine yourself in the woods, on the beach or something. That's what I did."  

She sighed and focused again.

I, however blew the candle out and tried to lit it up again, this time being present in the classroom. I tried to recreate the feeling from before and as I felt like some higher energy is hugging me I opened my eyes and tried to light up the candle.

Nothing.

"Ok, don't lose your focus." My inner voice said.

I tried to direct the heat from all around me to that place in my stomach, where the silhouette had her core and tried again. I imagined me lighting the candle up and this time I managed to do it.

"Ok, now you're just showing off." Sanem said, her candle also lit.

"You did it!" I said happily and she smiled back.

I turned around on Brianna and saw she managed to lit it up, too.

All three of us now tried to lit it up again, this time more effortlessly.

After what seemed like thousand tries, I managed to light the candle up with just a movement of my hand.

"Check this out." I said to Sanem. I moved my hand over the candle and it was lit, I moved it again and the fire was out, then again and it was lit. I repeated the motion several times as a giggle escaped my mouth. "Yeah, ok. This is really cool and all, but you look kind of crazy." I bit my lip and smiled shyly at her.

I checked how Rosy and Naomi were doing and saw both Rosy and Kassiopeia calming down and reassuring the pissed off Naomi: "I try to focus on the sounds but then someone moves or says something and my focus is puff, gone."

"It's ok, Naomi. Try again at home, in more peaceful environment and please have a friend watch out for you." Kassiopeia tried calming her down.

"Only six of us managed to do it, Naomi. Calm down. You won't succeed this way." Rosy said.

I felt bad for her. I knew she always needed to be one of the best ones in everything. But I have decided to push her out of my mind.

My accomplishment made me ambitious. I wanted to try and make a fireball on my palm. How cool would that be?

I rubbed my hands together, to warm them up and to know where to focus the energy from my gut.

After some time I felt my hand heating up and soon saw the fire crackling on it. A laugh escaped my mouth.

Oh, my god.

I did it.

There was a small fireball in my hand.

"Damn, woman." Sanem said, completely impressed. "How did you do that?"

"I just imagined it."

"Ok, now imagine ton of money, please." She joked and I chuckled.

"Kathrine Kent!" Kassiopeia called. "Class dismissed, except for you."

I felt like I was in trouble, although I don't know why. Is making magic in magic class forbidden? Yes, ok, I did something more than just lighting the candle, but come on.

After the classroom emptied Kassiopeia approached my desk. "How did you do that?"

"I just imagined it and it happened." I replied.

"Just like that?"

"Well, it took a lot of focus, just like the candle thing did the first time." I answered.

"Students in second year have trouble casting this spell." She said thoughtfully. "Elisaveth said you were powerful and that she had to recruit you, but this is amazing."

"She told me that a girl dropped out and that I'm replacing her?" I asked confused.

"Don't be silly, there is barely any gynakes left and you think we have a waiting list? Of course not. She just had to make something up so she wouldn't freak you and your parents out completely."  Kassiopeia explained. "She was in Portland for business when she saw your aura, so she followed you." Kassiopeia looked at me and continued: "It really has a lot of gold in it. You have amazing powers, of course we knew that from when you opened the portal in that mirror, but still. Using a Portland and creating fire from nothing is a big difference."

I was shocked. So it was pure coincidence I discovered the magical world and now it turns out that I have 'amazing powers'.

Dude…