Chapter 1: A perfect start!
I honestly would’ve never thought my day would’ve led to this. Here I was. Somehow…through a comical series of events, I ended up here. You see, what happened was…I made a mistake. A huge mistake. A mistake that no one in their right mind, should ever make. I had the audacity to talk back to Aurora Celestius. It was mostly my fault, but she pushed me to it. She was talking down to me, as usual, and I just snapped. I said a few choice words to her, and now, I’m being slapped. The pain slowly setting in, my cheek recoiling from the impact. Now, I’m sure you’re very confused, everyone in the courtyard is just as baffled as you. To make things less confusing for you, let me introduce myself.

            I’m Jason, just a seventeen-year-old guy. You already know Aurora; she is the one currently slapping me. You’ll meet my older sister, Kyra, soon enough. Let’s go over exactly how I got to this point.

It all started this morning, when I was forced awake by a hologram.

         “It is seven A.M. Time to wake up!” The hologram screamed. I simply groaned in protest, my eyes not even budging open. “It is seven A.M. Time to wake up!” Another groan. “You have approximately 3 seconds before Wakeup call is set off.” My brain didn’t really bother to register what he said as I slowly wrapped myself in a burrito blanket.

“Three. Two. One” With that final number, alarms echoed throughout my room. My eyes snapped open, and my instincts took over. “Ahh!” I screamed, violently wiggling in my blanket cocoon. I slowly rolled off the bed, landing face first into the wooden floor. Not the best way to wake up I know. I soon unrolled the death cocoon and shot straight back to my feet.

            The deafening alarm stopped finally, me sighing with relief. “Lights on.” I had to shield my eyes when they snapped on, or else I probably would’ve been blinded. Ding! That all too familiar sound. “Oh no no no…Don’t tell me it’s her again. I’m not mentally ready to deal with her chastising” Despite my instincts not to open the message I got, I knew I’d be in bigger trouble if I didn’t. I tapped my right temple, the recognizable screen glowing with a big blue mail icon. Tapping the icon, the message popped up and It read:

“Jason. I have taken the liberty of cleaning and setting your uniform for you. Stay out of trouble.”

-       Headmistress K.

Without so much as a second thought, I trashed the message. I had just freaked myself out for nothing. Though, true to her word my uniform was hovering right next to the door. It didn’t take me long at all to put on the white button up dress shirt and the black kakis. It took me a lot longer to tie the damned red tie. I just slid on the black blazer. I was slightly startled when the hologram chimed in.

“The current time is Seven twenty A.M. You have approximately Twenty-three minutes to head to first period. “  It disappeared as quickly as it had come. I approached the door, it automatically sliding aside. I stepped into the hallway, greeted with dazzling sunlight passing through the glass panes. It also shone across the wooden floors. My auto-pilot had already taken over, carrying me to the first class of the day.

The class was simply called “World History” It covered from now, all the way to the first magic users. A lot to cram in a nine-month school period, I know. It wasn’t my first choice, but it was required for all first years. The classroom itself also had wooden floors, along with a manual sliding door. Terrible, I know. By the time I arrived at the class, half of it was full, with the murmurs of various conversations. I sat at the desk closest to the window. Giving a huge yawn, tapped my temple, checking the time. It blinked 7:38 A.M.  Damn. I knew I should’ve slept in. Why did I listen to a hologram? I sigh, resting my head on my hand. It was only about a minute, before I started bouncing my leg restlessly. Five minutes pass before the teacher finally shows up. His tie hangs loose around his neck, and his dress shirt wrinkled. His blonde hair was unkempt, and his blue eyes slightly red from tiredness.

“Sorry I was almost late. No sleep.” He said simply. He drags himself to his desk, placing his arms on it. “Uh…. reading quiz on article about some ancient kingdom.” He sluggishly taps his temple, and a series of Dings echoed throughout the classroom. My screen popped up with two things. One thing was the article, the other was the quiz itself. However, you can’t take the quiz till you read the article. Very reluctantly, I read through the article. Though, I say skimmed is the more appropriate term. Yadda Yadda… prosperous kingdom… blah blah... mysterious invaders…. Useless useless, death of all but the king. Ok, got what I needed! Without so much as a second thought, I started the quiz. It was just a reading comprehension quiz. Those “Who was this” and “who did that” type of questions.

It should’ve been relatively easy as well. It was, for the most part, easy. I even scored a ten out of twenty. New record for me. It seemed to take forever for the other students to read and take the quiz. Pffffft, they actually took their time to read?  Nerds!  I smiled to myself. After what felt like eons, the final student was done. The teacher shook himself from his twilight sleep and stood up.

“So, you may ask yourself what’s so special about this kingdom?” His voice was somewhat monotone and raspy. He then got into a very long, painfully boring lecture. In order to protect myself, I tuned him out. It was one of my talents. I let my eyes wander to the classroom window. I watched the beautiful grasslands flow in the wind. Beyond the grassland though, was a very dense forest. The dark green leaves danced in the light breeze of the morning. I honestly don’t know how long I watched the plants, but it was long enough for the bell to ring. With a sigh of relief, I shot up and practically bolted toward my next class.

The other classes seemed to drag on just as long. Each one of the seeming to get longer than the last. It seemed to be a miracle when the lunch bell finally rang. This time I went into a full-on sprint to the cafeteria. The white marble flooring was freshly shined. The walls were ornately painted with curves and swirls. Each end of the cafeteria had several decorative ivory columns. The columns carved with several different patterns, further enhancing the rich atmosphere. The tables were made of the finest wood, covered with silken tablecloths. I found just any seat and took it. I’ll never get used to how comfortable these chairs are. I thought to myself as I slowly sank into the seat.

It wasn’t long before the food appeared via butlers and maids. The meals were literally served on silver platters.

            “Here is your meal, young master.” A butler with grey hair and a trimmed mustache.  I gave a simple thank you, returning it with a simple bow. He immediately left to tend to others. My mouth began to water profusely as I looked at the amazing meal in front of me. It was a perfectly brown steak, with a few sprinklings of seasonings. The aroma was absolutely divine. The taste even more so. The side of fluffy mash potatoes was a close second in taste.  After a very filling lunch, I just wanted to mellow out. So I did what any normal person would do. I headed out to the relaxing courtyard.

            It was only about three minutes until I finally reached the courtyard. This was the one place where I would always relax. A few oak trees provided shade with their beautiful green leaves. The grass was well trimmed, but still nice enough to lay on. A network of ivy climbed up the walls, adding to the nature atmosphere. In front of me, a stone square. On this stone square, rest an elegant fountain. On top of the reservoir, a huge stone sculpture of a knight. It showed some definite signs of erosion, along with some moss crawling up its feet. A near illegible plaque rested at the front of the reservoir.

A tomb to the Unknown Knight. May he rest in peace. I read to myself. “A knight…” I clinched my fist, hoping it would stop the oncoming flow of buried memories. “Jeez.” Blurs of distant memories of a young me, swearing to be a knight. A hero. I quickly walked away from the statue, finding a shady tree. I sunk into the soft grass, laying down. I give a sigh of content. I wish I could just spend the whole day here. It wasn’t long before other students started flowing in from lunch. “Tch. What a way to ruin the atmosphere. Though I honestly should’ve expected it.” I said to no one. I simply enjoyed the shade. The warm air, the light breeze. This was a perfect day, until it all came crashing down. It was as if the courtyard jumpstarted. A whole slew of people started running towards someone. They all started screaming and generally just freaking out. Wait…don’t tell me. I hopped to my feet, hoping the hunch I had was wrong.

“Aurora! Please let me visit your home only once!” A female student blurted out.

“Aurora, please let me your disciple!” Another begged.

“Aurora please give me your A.R.I code!” A male student blurted.

            I had to fight in order to even make it into the mob of people. “move dammit!” I forced My way to the center of the mob. I clinched my fist at the sight of her. White hair. Ivory skin. Golden eyes. That’s her alright.  She was sitting at the rim of the fountain. “Oh? You want my A.R.I code?” She gave a light chuckle. Her eyes focused on the student.  A once noisy crowd hushed like that. The student had a huge smile on his face, nodding vigorously. “Why would I give something like that to trash?” The smile faded from the students face, and his eyes became hidden. Those golden eyes found their way to me. “Well Well, how are things, Arklight?” Her voice condescending. It was like she was talking to a servant.

                        “Oh things are just grand y’know? Really enjoying school life.” I responded.

      “Despite the fact that you’re not meant to be here?” Her smile matched her voice.

 Jason, she is just trying to strike a nerve. Don’t let it get to you. I tried to show no external reaction.

“Still goin’ on about that? Really?” I placed my hands on the back of my head.

     “All I’m saying is that someone like you, in the school for the elite? I’m surprised you even managed to last these couple of months.” She closed her eyes, that damned smile not even fading for a second. I could feel it. The anger bubbling in me.

     It rose to the surface, begging to be let out. Don’t say anything. A mantra repeated itself in my head. I even had to resort to biting my tongue to avoid uttering anything.

     “I mean, face the facts Arklight. Trash is trash no matter what their position is. Especially your sister. Ohhhh boy. How did a commoner like her become headmistress of this school? I’m willing to bet she struck a deal with a dark mage.” Aurora stated it like a fact.

     I felt something snap. My anger welled up inside me, breaking through the surface. I really wish I hadn’t said what I did.

     “You know what Aurora, you’re right. How trash like Kyra and I get into the school? Maybe we used dark magic. Maybe we paid our way in like you did, or maybe, just f’ing maybe, we earned our way in. It’s helluva lot more than I can say for you.” I spat. “and I’m not even close to done yet. Not only are you calling me trash, but your calling my sister trash. That’s something I won’t stand for.” Why am I even defending Kyra? Why am I saying this?! A little voiced scream at me.  It warned me not to say those things. “I’ve held my tongue, but not anymore! Not anymore dammit!” Several gasps escaped the mouths of the onlookers.

      I actually really don’t know what I said after that. It was all a blur to me. I just kept voicing all of my thoughts towards Aurora. It was so intense, I actually started to pant a small bit. I could feel my anger draining away with each word. The whole time Aurora just pierced me with her golden eyes, giving no discernable reaction darning my rant. The crowd around us all had looks for horror and anger. Their anger obviously directed at me. I uttered my last word and it hung on the air. It seemed to echo around the courtyard.

       Then what happened next is where you, the reader, saw me. She slowly approached me, closing the few feet between us to a few inches. Her hand blurred as she slapped me. The sting slowly setting in. Aurora glowered, her gaze like twin daggers burrowing into my skull.

       “You dare speak to me in such a manner? You-you mongrel! Neanderthal! I am Aurora celestius!” Her golden eyes seemed fill with fire and her normally pale face was flushed. She slapped me. Well, what did you expect? A hug and a kiss? Maybe a box of chocolate ostriches? My common sense asked me. The pain of my cheek turned into a tingle. I was at a loss for words. What am I expected to do in this situation? Apologize? Never gonna happen! I reaffirmed to myself.

                        “Yes I do dare. Somebody needed to say it.” I replied. The stares from the crowd turned deadly, everyone glowering at me.

                        “How dare you talk to her like that!” A random student blurted.

                        “Yeah, you should be expelled for that alone!” Another shouted.

     The crowed started to scream and throw all manner of curses at me. I just shrugged them off. I then heard the familiar Ding! Of the A.R.I. The blue screen popped into my vision, with a message, all written in red font.

                        Jason Arklight and Aurora Celestius. Report to the headmistress immediately.