A New Beginning (Crossedlake University Book 1) Page 2

  “Mrow,” she replied. She leapt off me and landed on the floor without a sound. I looked at my phone to see the time. Five a.m.

  Way too early for me, but I feel well-rested. Might as well get up.

  Esmeralda rushed to my closet and meowed at the closed door. I ignored her and headed for the bathroom, but her meows became even more insistent.

  Such a strange cat.

  “Hold on, let me use the bathroom and I’ll let you in there.”

  Charlie loves napping in the corner of my closet. I’m sure that’s what she’s wanting to do. Although, how would she even know that’s a closet? She’s never been here.

  I shuddered as I went into the bathroom. It felt like a cool breeze had rolled through my room. Thoughts of the other plane swam in my head; the chill had felt similar.

  I go back to the bedroom and the meows of Esmeralda become more frantic. Charlie had crawled out from somewhere and had joined her at the door, adding his meows to the racket.

  “Okay, okay,” I said, approaching the two cautiously.

  She knows the way. Yeah, that’s what I thought last night, and we just went to bed. They just want to nap more.

  My hand gripped the doorknob, and a sudden stinging sensation caused me to retrieve it quickly. The doorknob was freezing cold. I bent down, Esmeralda and Charlie still meowing like crazy, and looked at the doorknob. My breath blew against it as I exhaled and frost formed along the brass before disappearing quickly.

  The meows suddenly stopped, and I looked down to find the two cats silently watching me. Tails swishing behind them slowly, pupils dilated, and ears flat.

  I swallowed the lump growing in my throat and reached for the doorknob again. The coldness of the metal stung slightly, but I tightened my grip and turned the knob. The door wouldn’t budge. I tried several times to force it open, but nothing happened.

  Esmeralda trilled, and I heard the tinkle of her bell. She raised her head, giving me full sight of the charm dangling on her collar. I reached down and read it again.

  The words of entry are Nal, Lund, Crel, Zuran. Fuck it, let’s try this.

  “Nal,” I said. A chill ran up my spine as a breeze DID roll through the room, the air blowing up from under the closet door. “Lund, Crel.” A blue light shined from all around the door, outlining it but not casting a glow onto any other surfaces.

  Charlie and Esmeralda both tilted their heads and watched me expectantly. This is insane. I should stop.

  “Zuran.” The word left my mouth, and I felt instant regret.

  The blue light flashed and filled my vision completely as the door flung open. I could see nothing but neon blue. Something thudded into my chest and I felt myself careening backward. Thankfully, I landed on something soft. The weight on my chest grew heavier, and I slipped into unconsciousness.

  ✽✽✽

  I awoke to a heavy weight on my chest. Esmeralda was sitting on top of me, staring deeply into my freshly open eyes. The dream I just had lingered in my mind and I sat up quickly. Esmeralda voiced her displeasure at my sudden movement and leapt onto the floor, landing with a loud thud. Charlie perked up at the foot of my bed at the noise. He looked around sleepily, then put his head back down, covering his face with his paws.

  It mildly disappointed me that it was just a dream. It felt so vivid and real. At the same time, it was kind of relieving. I had become mostly content in life, coasting by at least. Why shake things up?

  Thoughts of the dream left my brain quickly as I stumbled into the bathroom and went about my morning routine. After I was nice and clean, I threw on some jeans, a t-shirt, and some pink fuzzy slippers. Today, I had no responsibilities unless Esmeralda suddenly stepped up and took me somewhere.

  “Are you two hungry?” I asked the unblinking cats sitting in front of me, tails entwined. Neither of them make a peep. “You just want candy, don’t you?” Esmeralda’s ears twitched at the word candy, but she still didn’t move.

  “Fine, you guys can stay in here, I’m having breakfast.”

  I started towards the kitchen but paused as someone knocked loudly on my front door and checked my phone.

  Who is banging on my door at six thirty in the morning?!

  Slightly irritated at the disturbance, I flung open my door and felt my jaw drop. The familiar brown hallway of my apartment complex had become a bustling corridor filled with other people hurriedly moving through it. The brown walls and carpet were replaced with dark gray stone and torches flickered on the wall, casting a warm light across everything.

  “I’m glad to see you decided to join us,” Aldora said happily.

  “What…? What’s going on?” I asked.

  “Welcome to Crossedlake University!”

  “My apartment…” I muttered, staring back inside. It looked completely unchanged. My couch, my green afghan still crumpled on the arm, my small television, even the bookshelf, still had all the books where they should be.

  “Yes? What about it?” Aldora asked, cocking her head and peering inside.

  “How did it get here?”

  “The transportation charm on Esmeralda’s collar. You spoke the words, now you’re here.”

  “But it brought my entire apartment!”

  “Yes? Students are more comfortable sleeping in their own quarters.”

  “How did you move the whole thing?”

  “Oh, dear, I didn’t. It was the spell on the charm. Magic, sweetie,” Aldora said, taking one of my hands and patting it gently. “You’ll learn all about everything, well, most things, in orientation today. Not even most things, just several. There’s a lot going on in the magic world. I don’t imagine anyone could know everything.”

  “Okay,” I said, the only word I could form at the moment.

  “Perk up. It’s your first day. It’ll be fun! Thirty minutes until orientation, don’t be late,” Aldora said before releasing my hand and disappearing into the hallway.

  “... but where do I go?” I asked the now empty air in front of me. I glanced down each side of the hall, and just as before, she was nowhere to be seen.

  Well, I had been wanting a change of pace in life. Looks like I got my wish.

  Chapter Two

  I stood in the door of my apartment for a little too long, leaning against the frame and watching the other students pass in front of me. A few looked over at me and smiled. The rest seemed dead set on getting somewhere. They all moved in the same direction, I’d assume, headed to orientation.

  This is insane. I’ve always been a go with the flow kind of person, but this is a bit much.

  “Hi,” a velvety voice said from beside me. My eyes snapped towards the voice and I’m greeted by a tall, slender man in a dark green three-piece suit with a black cloak draped over his shoulders.

  Is that a cravat?

  “Um, hello,” I replied. I felt suddenly nervous under his piercing gaze. His icy blue eyes felt like they were trying to burn a hole into my very soul, and I couldn’t stop staring at the black cravat around his neck.

  His pale face was set in a scowl but softened and he said, “I didn’t mean to startle you. My name is Corbin. You looked lost, and I thought I’d offer a hand.”

  “Oh, thanks. My name’s Clara. Clara Cassidy.”

  “Corbin Adler,” he said, offering his hand.

  I took it expecting a handshake, but he just gripped it tightly for a moment, his hand cold and dry, before releasing it.

  “I am lost. This is all very confusing,” I admitted.

  “The first day is always confusing, sometimes even for returning students. This place isn’t always… hmm… what’s the best way to say this… stable.”

  “How so?”

  “Oh, you’ll figure that out soon enough. Now, what are you looking for?”

  What am I looking for? Answers, that’s about it. I don’t even know what else I’m supposed to be looking for.

  “Orientation?” I said, I guess that’s the best place to start.

  Corbin looked down the hall at the dozen students hurriedly moving in the same direction. He smirked at me and said, “That way.” His slender, pale finger pointed down the hallway towards the students.

  “I assumed as much. I guess I should have just followed the herd,” I said with a nervous chuckle.

  “Sometimes following the herd can lead to issues, but in this case, you are correct,” he grinned. “We’re going to be late, we need to go.”

  Breakfast. I should have eaten instead of standing in the hallway.

  My stomach growled at me angrily, and I placed a hand over it.

  Corbin raised an eyebrow at me and said, “They serve food.”

  “Great, let’s go.”

  “I wouldn’t bring that.” Corbin motioned at my phone that I was death-gripping in my hand.

  “Why not? Is it not allowed?”

  “It’ll get fried if you take it out of your room.”

  That’s kind of messed up.

  “Is that how they keep students off their phones?”

  “No, it’s from some of the magic classes used in the school. Some things don’t mesh well with technology.”

  “Oh.” I tossed my phone onto the couch. It bounced off the cushion and clattered to the floor. Esmeralda and Charlie, who had both cozied up on the other side of the couch, didn’t even budge.

  Of course.

  “Wait one sec, sorry,” I said and hurriedly ran into my kitchen. I set three bowls on the ground, filling one up with water and the other two with cat food, before rushing out the door.

  We walked at a decent pace down the hallway. It twisted and winded several times over before finally spilling out into a large straight corridor. Several dozen students meandered in front of two huge wooden doors with steel reinforcements
. A smaller door inside one of the large ones was open.

  “Interesting choice of attire for your first day,” Corbin said as we weaved through the group of students.

  I looked down at myself and realized I hadn’t put on real shoes. I was still wearing my pink fuzzy slippers. With socks, to make things worse. The rest of the students were dressed up quite nicely, many of them in suits or dresses, all with cloaks over their shoulders. I felt very out of place, more than I already had.

  “Whoops,” I said, shrugging it off. It’s too late now, why worry about it.

  “You are one of the students that didn’t know about magic? Aren’t you?”

  “Is it that obvious?”

  “Yeah, it really is,” Corbin laughed. “It’s okay, though. You're not alone. There’s always several every year.”

  “How long have you been coming here?”

  “This is my fourth year.”

  “How many years does it take to finish?”

  Corbin shrugged. “It varies for each student, depending on what you want to learn.”

  We pushed through the group and entered the doorway. On the other side was a massive open room with rows and rows of seating and a stage at the end. Very reminiscent of a high school auditorium, just much larger. Corbin led us down the center aisle and we took a spot in the third row near the aisle. Trays materialized out of the chairs in front of us; mine had an assortment of pastries, a steaming mug of coffee, and a glass of orange juice. Corbin had the same pastries and coffee, but his glass looked like it just had water in it.

  The sudden appearance of the food out of thin air was mildly disturbing, but I was far too hungry to argue about it. There were several pastries on the tray, some of them I’d never seen before, but I went the boring route and grabbed a donut. I leaned back in my chair and dipped it in the coffee, relishing the flavors. I sighed deeply as the food hit my stomach and settled its fury.

  A raucous group of guys chided each other and laughed loudly behind us, while a group of girls giggled quietly to each other as they kept glancing over at the boys. One guy in a black suit, with the coat unbuttoned and a green tie dangling loose, stood up and threw his cloak dramatically behind him, smacking one of his friends in the face, and flexed. The vest he wore barely contained him and the buttons on the front threatened to explode.

  I rolled my eyes at him when he looked over at me and waggled his eyebrows. I turned back around and stared at the empty stage in front of us.

  Stupid show-off. Kinda cute, though.

  “I’m not stupid, but I am showing off. And thanks,” a drawling voice announced to my back. My ears perked up, and I felt a shudder run up my spine.

  “Can people read minds?” I asked Corbin quietly.

  “Some can, but only if you direct the thought towards them,” he replied, glancing over his shoulder at the guy that just read my mind. “Yeah, he’s one of them.”

  “How can you tell?”

  “It’s in the eyes.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “It’s hard to explain. Sometimes you can just tell things by looking at people’s eyes. Different magics and unique abilities show themselves there. It’s something you just have to pick up as you go.”

  “Oh.”

  “I also know him. He’s a fourth year, too.”

  “You could have just said that.”

  “Confusing you is more entertaining,” Corbin smiled.

  An explosion silenced the entire auditorium. A roaring orange fireball engulfed the entire stage, blinding me and sending my body into a panic. Fight or flight kicked in and I leaped out of the seat to run, but felt Corbin’s cool hand on my wrist, holding me steady.

  The flames flew outward, straight for the students. Before impacting anyone, they changed course and slammed into the ceiling, coating it in a brilliant orange glow. Flames lapped at the ceiling silently and the other light in the auditorium faded, leaving us bathed in the orange light.

  “Now that I have your attention. Welcome to Crossedlake University, or welcome back to Crossedlake University! We’re happy to see so many fresh and returning faces and eager to get started with the semester,” a sonorous and guttural voice said from all around.

  The flames on the stage vanished and revealed a burly man standing on top of a podium. Several dozen other people flanked him on either side. Each of them dressed like Aldora had been, flowing robes of varying colors, matching wide-brimmed hats, and several of them had staves. I recognized the green glint of Aldora’s staff and saw her diminutive frame situated by the burly man.

  The burly man peered around the room quickly, seemingly looking at every single one of the hundreds of students individually in a matter of seconds. His broad shoulders shifted under the tight-fitting suit he wore. It looked almost like it was made of velvet and was a deep-red hue. His long gray beard stretched down to his chest, and I spied a black bowtie holding on for dear life when he glanced at the ceiling. If I didn’t know better, which I don’t, I’d think he was half-bear or something.

  “For those of you that don’t know, I am Chancellor Ebin. I am in charge of the University and I have the final say on any and all requests. These,” he said, waving his hands to his side, “are your teachers and mentors. They are all well-equipped to help you tackle anything you could imagine in the other plane.”

  One boy behind us made a comment. I didn’t catch the exact wording, but I heard the word ‘well-equipped’ and snickering. The sound of a thousand people as they shifted to look at someone was much louder than you would think. All eyes turned to the boy as the chancellor fell silent and locked his sight onto him.

  The four of the other guys in the group looked around nervously, not knowing what was happening, while the fifth, the one who read my mind, was sitting quietly and not even smiling.

  “Mr. Young,” the chancellor bellowed, his voice still sounded quite happy. “Stand up for me.”

  “How did he know my name?” Young asked the surrounding group. They all shrugged and remained silent. He stood up and looked at the chancellor, face turning a vibrant shade of red.

  “Do you have something you would like to say to the entire student body, all the teachers, all the mentors, and myself?” The chancellor asked.

  “N… No… sir,” Young replied.

  “Nonsense, come on up here.” With that, Young disappeared from sight. A faint green outline of his body remained for half a second before no trace of him was left. The same green outline appeared on the podium beside the chancellor before Young filled in the space.

  What in the world? Wait, why is this shocking to me? My entire apartment teleported. It makes sense a person could too. Still bizarre to see.

  “Now, go ahead, announce to everyone what you needed to say,” the chancellor said with a smile, patting Young on the back with a quiet thump. Young jumped forward at the impact and glanced around the auditorium nervously, fidgeting with his blue coat.

  “Um,” he said, his voice amplified and playing from all around. He paused and looked over at the chancellor, who merely raised a hand and turned it to the side in a ‘go ahead’ gesture.

  Young looked over at one woman standing on the stage and his face turned an even deeper red. You could tell he was debating on whether to repeat what he said or make something up. Making something up seemed unwise. The chancellor clearly heard whatever he said.

  “Ms. Azorha certainly looks well-equipped. I would let her tackle my other plane any day,” Young said hesitantly.

  “Thank you for that announcement,” the chancellor replied immediately with a smirk. Young looked over at the woman again and grinned sheepishly. His shoulders slumped in and he looked like he was trying to make himself invisible through sheer willpower. Giggles rolled through the crowd of students, but no chatter resumed.

  He wasn’t wrong, though. If that lady is Ms. Azorha, she is definitely well-equipped. Her robes threaten to burst just like the chancellor’s suit, but in a much more feminine and curvy way. She doesn’t look much older than me, maybe late twenties. Her long black hair flowed down from her emerald green hat and draped across her shoulders. She rolled her eyes at Young and turned her focus back to the chancellor, not even remotely concerned.

  “Now, moving on. Today will be orientation day. You will meet with your mentors and go over your plans for your time here at Crossedlake University. You will be given as best of a tour of the grounds as you can. Returning students, you know what I mean. New students, you will find out. No, no, Mr. Young, stay here and keep me company,” the chancellor said, planting a firm hand on Young’s shoulder and pulling him back by his side.