The Damned (Chapter 3)

On the first day of classes, Kelly hurried through her breakfast, picked up her red and blue note book then hurried to her first class. As she entered the classroom five students already sat close to the front of the class. They chatted about what they might learn. All around the room were the shades. Somehow they had become aware she could see and hear them, so they never left her alone.

‘Good Morning Kelly.’

‘Good Morning Wizard Johnson.’ She went to pass his desk but stopped as he spoke again, but in a softer voice.

‘How are your headaches?’

‘A little better sir.’ She thought it was better to tell a small lie now than be sent back to the healers and miss the first lesson. She hated lying to anyone but she found out people seemed to brush over the truth for the benefit of those around them. She remembered the first time she spoke to Malcolm, he told her he’d never been happier and there was no way he could miss home when there were so many new things to see and do. She’d known by the tremor in his hand that held the map he just didn’t want anyone to worry about him.

‘That’s good, have you been to the healer this morning?’

‘Yes sir.’

‘Let me know if you need to leave class.’

‘I’ll be fine sir.’

‘Okay.’ He watched as she took the seat right at the back of the class by the window, opened her blue book she sat there until Malcolm came and sat in the seat in front of her.

‘Good morning Kelly.’

‘Good morning Malcolm, are you ready for today.’

‘I’ve been up since three, how did you sleep.’ He smiled

‘I wouldn’t have minded waking up that early.’

‘Why, I feel like I need more sleep.’

‘Could you really fall asleep on your first day?’ She gave him a smile that she fought to keep on her lips as he laughed.

‘Your right, I think we’re all too excited with the newness of using magic. Do you have any wizards in your family?’

‘No.’ was all she could say, why would he ask her that, didn’t he know she was an orphan.

‘Mine neither; they all wanted to come with me when I moved in. Can you imagine a troupe of people walking down the road, weeping and wailing? I mean, we only live a few blocks away.’

‘I didn’t realise every student moved in.’

‘Oh yes, I was told its the only way we could be trusted not to go using magic on our families if they got on our nerves.’

‘Okay everyone, take your seats.’ Manin called from the front of the class.

Malcolm looked around and was surprised to find all the seats taken. ‘Later Kelly.’

‘Okay Malcolm.’ She looked to the front of the class and waited. All the while having to look through the dozen or so shades who tried to get her to react to them.

‘Welcome to your first year connected to your magic. My name is Wizard Manin Johnson for those of you I haven’t already spoken to. I promise not to push you too hard.’ He looked around. ‘I think a good way to start would be for you all to stand up and say your name . . .’ he paused. ‘For the moment let’s just stick with first names.’ He looked to Thomas who sat in the front row by the door. ‘Why don’t you start?’

‘T . . . Thomas.’

Manin pointed to the boy next to him.

‘Gregory . . . please not Greg.’ He sat down.

‘Tania.’

‘Malcolm.’

‘Denise.’

‘Mandy.’

‘Glen.’

‘Belinda.’

‘Jarvis.’

‘Denilia.’

‘Salamis.’

‘Keloma.’

‘Shoals.’

‘Sawyer.’

‘Yantis.’

‘Kelly.’

‘Very good . . . but don’t expect me to remember them straight away, if I’m still getting them wrong in a week . . . two weeks, I’ll do some homework of my own.’ The students laughed. ‘But there is one that I’ll remember easily. Denilia, same as the head healer.’

‘I was named after her, she’s my granny.’

‘Really, and she never told me . . . I think we could have a bit of fun with her. Okay how many of you knew a wizard before coming here?’ Only five of the sixteen students raised their hands. ‘So that means the others have more than likely not had the opportunity to sit down with a wizard and talk to them about what it is they do?’ The others nodded their heads. ‘Well, we wizards are spread throughout the country; most are employed in things like healing, teaching, seeing, casting, and protection. Over the next two years you will be shown how to use your magic. You’ll need to take that first step with your own magic before you’re able to start using the surrounding magic.’

‘Sir?’

‘Yes Mandy?’

‘How are Wizards able to use their own magic as well as the surrounding magic?’

‘The most difficult question first.’ He smiled to her. ‘Why? If you have magic in you that’s the only way you can reach for the surrounding magic. Your magic is connected to the surrounding magic. Okay, think of the magic that’s inside you. I would describe it as a glass of water that is almost never drained. If you keep using it for extended periods you can drain it though and for the next year, year and a half you will find you are drained easily because it something you’ve never done. If you’ve never run before, and you try running from one end of the town to the other you won’t make it but if you keep doing it for a month or two you will find you can do it.’ Every one nodded their heads. ‘Now the surrounding magic would be like standing in the centre of a lake with an empty glass that also has a crack down the side. Even when you scoop up a full glass of water, it will begin leaking out, wanting to become part of the lake again.’ He looked around and was happy to see understanding shining in their eyes. ‘You will need to use the gathered magic rather quickly or it will just flow back to the surrounding.’

‘How much surrounding magic is a wizard able to gather before they use it?’

‘Sorry, what’s your name?’

‘Sorry, Tania sir.’

‘Well Tania, that’s quite simple. You need to absorb as much magic as fast as you can then use it as fast as you can. You’re only able to gather magic from about ten feet from where you stand. It then takes the surrounding a few minutes before you can use it again. Or you need to move to a new area.’

‘A little like a sponge?’

‘Yes . . . I’m sorry, what is your name?’

‘Denise sir.’

‘That’s right.’ His eyes flicked to Kelly she seemed to try hard to concentrate on what was being said. ‘You were outside the healers with Malcolm.’

‘Yes sir.’

‘Did you send word to your mother?’

‘Yes.’

‘And?’

‘I don’t think I can repeat what mother said sir. She, never the less, is envious.’

‘What’s this?’ Thomas looked at her as he raised an eyebrow.

‘I will tell you during lunch.’

‘Good choice, you don’t need to have your teacher blush on his first day.’ Manin looked around the room at the students. ‘How many of you have had the front cover of your blue note book open for a while?’ Kelly was the only one to lift her hand. ‘Kelly, would you bring it up here?’

‘Yes sir.’ Kelly closed the cover and took it to him.

‘Don’t sit down yet.’ He opened the book and turned the first page. To his surprise, her notes were clearer than any he’d ever seen. And he didn’t mean the first day student notes; he’s seen fourth year students who’d envy this book. ‘You have a very clear mind when it comes to taking notes.’

‘I haven’t taken any notes sir.’ She watched him as he held the book up for her to see before he turned it to the other students. ‘This book, your blue book, is your note book; it takes down class notes automatically. Normally it takes a few days before notes are clear and fluid.’ He watches everyone open their book. ‘From now on, when you sit at your seat, the first thing you do is open this book to what ever page you are up to. I will place my notes in the right spots to give you what you need to know about spells.’ He closed the book and handed it to her. ‘Thank you Kelly.’ She nodded to him then looked at her book as she returned to her seat.

‘Okay, you have all called up a simple light when your magic was released. I want you to call up that light.’ He waited until the last light lay on the students’ palm. He walked up and down the isles looking at the lights. Four students were having difficulty to keep the light for a time. He stopped at each and gave them pointers that helped them to centre their minds. ‘Very good.’ He said as he looked at Kelly’s light. It sat perfectly still in the centre of her palm. ‘Have you been practicing Kelly?’

‘No sir.’ She looked around the room and found the others seemed to waver a little and not one stayed at the same brightness. She thought maybe she should make hers do the same, but didn’t know how.

‘Now I want you to concentrate on keeping the light where it is, but remove your hand from under it. Don’t worry when it falls to the table, you won’t be able to keep it up yet.’ He again stood at the front of the room and watched as one at a time they removed their hands. Some were able to keep them in the air for a few seconds before they fell to the table with a soft crack. He looked to Kelly’s and watched as it didn’t fall, but slowly lowered to the table. When it landed it gave such a loud crack that every student jumped. ‘Very good everyone, now I want you to think of it moving from one side to the other.’

‘Oops.’ Glen said with a laugh. ‘Sir how do you make it stop before it falls off the table?’

‘You need to remember, the light is just another part of you, like your hand, or foot. If you think of it stopping, it will stop. Soon your ability to control your magic will be like breathing.’ He then got them to move the light around the edge of the table. By the end of the class he knew that each student had some control of their magic.

‘That’s an end to your first day. Are there any questions?’

‘Are we allowed to practice outside class sir?’

‘Yes, but always use your brain. What I mean is, don’t go running the lights down a hall you know wizards need to walk down. They really don’t appreciate tripping over light balls.’ He smiled. ‘It does nothing for their . . . our egos.’ He received the laugh he hoped for. ‘I’ll see you in the morning.’ As they packed up he remembered something. ‘If any of you are unwell and are unable to attend class, let one of you class mates know before going straight to the healers.’

‘Yes sir.’ The class called as one.

Manin stood at the open door and watched everyone leave, Kelly was almost the last one out.

‘So Kelly, did they make the right choice?’ New teachers needed words of praise now and then.

‘Yes sir. I don’t think they could have made a better choice of teachers.’ She nodded. ‘See you in the morning sir.’ She moved out the door and down the hall.

‘Kelly’s right sir, for the first class for us all, I think we all did rather well.’ Malcolm said as he, Thomas, Mandy, and Denise walked to the door.

‘Thank you, always good to hear you didn’t completely stuff up on your first day.’ He stepped out the door, Kelly was no where to be seen.

‘Good afternoon sir.’

‘Good afternoon, don’t stay up too late practicing.’

‘Never.’ Denise said as they hurried down the hall towards their rooms. All thought they would catch up to Kelly, but she was no where to be found.