God Loves Angels

My first lesson

I jumped out of my room onto the stairs and almost rolled head over heels down. I managed to grab hold of the window opening in the wall in time. So I just stretched out on the sharp steps and whined. My school bag flew further. It contained my new stick, my old grandmother told me to leave at home, notebooks and writing utensils. Plus a schedule sheet.

I rose gently and cautiously walked down to the common room. An alarmed girl was waiting for me near the door from the tower. She knew my name and babbled quickly:

«Suzanne asked me to wait for you. We ran quickly, otherwise we won’t have time! – And the girl immediately jumped out the door.

I thanked Susanna in my mind and hurried after the girl. Her white hair was pulled back into a neat, short ponytail that bounced up and down with every step.

– Wait! I can’t keep up with you! – I croaked, feeling pain in my knee after falling on the stairs. The girl stopped at the end of the corridor and shook her fists.

– My leg hurts. – I complained, fearing that the girl would run forward again and this time leave me.

– Hurry! – Begged the girl. – Cornelie and Bridget are probably already in class! And because of you, I’ll be late!

– Do you know where we have a lesson? – I clarified, remembering the entry in the schedule.

– I know. Come on!

And the girl ran again. I hobbled along as fast as I could. And fortunately, the pain in my knee suddenly disappeared.

In turn, I tried to strike up a conversation, make friends with my guide and somehow distract myself from fear, appear at the door in front of the full class and explain why I came later.

– My name is Rosealynn. But you can also Rose. – Breathing heavily into the back of my guide, I whispered.

– I know, I know! – Suddenly whispered plaintively «my guide» and slowly trudged off, listening to the sounds in the empty corridor. I took a step, realizing that my steps are loudly echoing throughout the school. There was no one in front of the class. And now a solemn, strict silence reigned around.

To my deep relief, the door to the classroom was open. Perhaps we still made it?

There were only three boys and three girls in the room. They sat at their desks and turned when we appeared. I counted, we only have eight students. I breathed a sigh of relief. I have never liked large groups. Sitting down at the desk right behind the black-haired boy, I noticed that my companion sat down in the empty seat on the left. And then I saw «her». Matilda, my co-abuser and friend of Jacqueline! She was sitting in the farthest row from me. I felt a surge of anger again. Matilda glared viciously in my direction. I remembered what Susanna said.

And then I noticed the teacher. In a blue, seemingly airy robe, she seemed to float through the classroom and stopped in the center, next to the piano. A small table with a high, thin leg stood on her other hand. There was nothing on it. And I wondered what awaits us for the lesson? This whole hall breathed with the subtle charms of music, something sublime, but in no way the «Introductory course of the wizard.»

– I’m glad to see you all. – The lady in the blue dress spoke in a clear, not loud voice. I heard a slight accent that lent a melodic tone to her voice. It was pleasant to listen to.

– My name is Frau Mendelssohn, and I will teach you the very first and most important course in your magical development. «Introductory Course» of the first Grant. And so when you know how to contact me, let’s say hello! I say: Hello, young wizards! You answer: Hello, Frau-u, – in the word of Frau and her name, I again heard notes of accent. I liked him. Definitely; – Mendlson!

I coughed softly, preparing to greet my first teacher and…

– Glad to see you, young wizards!

…together with all the students she loudly reported:

– Hello, Frau Mendelssohn!

– Well. Well done! – The teacher praised. I smiled. While the lesson reminded me of a game.

– And now let’s get to know each other a little closer.

At this remark from the teacher, I was frightened. I didn’t want to stand in front of the whole class and tell about myself, as it was in my old school on my first day. But to my relief, it wasn’t necessary. Madame Mendelssohn simply read the list of names from her sheet, and the student got up for a second and immediately sat down.

– Allan White, James Clarence and Edge Lawrence…

I immediately got confused in these names. The last names of the last two guys seemed to me the same and difficult to remember, especially when you hear them one after another. There were not many guys in my class – only three. Girls – five:

– Lily Leng! «That was the name of my savior guide.

– Cornelia Snow, Bridget Oourd, Matilda Reinhart!

Matilda is that nasty and evil person, Jamely’s friend. Ooh!

All the names were new to me, and I immediately forgot most of them. Hard-to-pronounce surnames – that’s for sure. But the name of Matilda is etched into my memory. Reinhart! It even sounds unpleasant!

– Roselyn Burling!

I hurried to get up. And she sat down with joy. From a height above my desk, it was scary and a little uncomfortable when the whole class was looking at you.

Madame Mendelssohn put down the sheet of names on the table.

– I said that this course will be on your first Grant. Grants are academic years at a school. When you successfully pass all the exams, you will be admitted to the lessons of the second Grant, and so on. Look at the emblem embroidered on the left side of your school uniform.

I already had time to make out her. A beautiful capital letter H with curls, placed in a golden circle, from which rays diverged in all directions. And under H was a small star. I touched the star on my chest.

– Northern sun, and the first letter of our institution. Underneath you will find a star. This star is your pass to lessons. One star is the first Grant. In your second year of study, a new star will appear under the emblem. And then you will have two stars and a pass to the lessons of the second Grant. This is clear? Now let’s get your magic wands, or artifacts, if anyone has them.

I took my wand out of my bag and looked at the other guys. They also had sticks similar to mine. The girl sitting next to me looked at my wand with interest. I noted that we have the same. Probably all the student sticks were similar.

Frau Mendelssohn walked between the desks, looking down at our chopsticks, but not touching them.

– Great, great. – She purred. After making a small circle around me, she returned to the piano and folded her palms across her chest.

– Magic wands are your magic artifacts. They enhance the power of the wizard, direct it outward. With them, you will quickly gain confidence and develop a magic vein in yourself! Magic wands are very handy for young learners. They are not as powerful as artifacts. You yourself will understand why the wand is what you need now. Adult magicians have more expensive artifacts. These are already precious heirlooms, passed down from generation to generation. For example, wands, in the cores of which rare minerals are hidden, rings, watches. Any item can be an artifact. But with the magic in it!

From the first desk came a thin, uncertain voice. I didn’t hear what he said, and I got up in my chair to see better.

– I’m sorry, what? Speak louder, young magician!

Frau leaned over to the boy at the first desk.

– Well. Now let’s go again. Just before you ask anything, raise your hand and wait until I turn to you.

The boy’s ears turned red. I didn’t see his face, but, of course, it turned red too.

A thin, trembling hand went up.

– Yes, young wizard? Stand up and introduce yourself, please.

– James Clorence. – His voice sounded much quieter than Frau Mendelssohn.

– Repeat your question!

– I wanted to ask you, Frau Mendelssohn, what kind of magic wand… Is there an artifact?

– Great question. You can sit down! – Frau Mendelssohn was delighted and raised her hand in front of her.

– I have rings!

I noticed the rims of the rings on Frau’s thin graceful fingers. When the teacher turned her palm, the Sun jumped around the walls, ceiling and piano in bright bunnies. There were small stones on the rings, difficult to distinguish until this moment. I squinted at the black and red diamond, green like a cat’s eye, a ball and white, like pearls, a stone on gold rings. So it seemed to me, at least from my last place. And I was sitting on the fourth desk from Madame.

– Great! – I heard a sigh of admiration. James Clorence said that. And I caught myself thinking that I myself am saying something similar, only in a whisper. James sat closest to Frau, and fell more under the spell of magic stones. Frau said nothing to James. She did not remark that he should raise his hand and wait for her attention, but smiled.

Then Frau told us how to handle our chopsticks. I didn’t know, but they needed more attention and even respect. They are like little pets, animals that should be tamed. You can’t throw. Then I remembered Ismeralda and the way she handled her wand. Keep only in a pocket near the heart. Rarely, but possible, to put in a school bag. Wipe clean with a silk cloth. I kept waiting to see if Frau would say that the sticks should be given a name, like these pets, but she said nothing of the kind. The cat has a name. And here is a magical artifact!

And you need to use it differently than I did it at home. You need to take it in the palm of your hand, try to feel the vibration of the stick, hold it evenly with straight fingers and speak the spell not to yourself, but to the stick. Somehow I did not notice anything like this behind my grandmother. Perhaps the grandmother’s ring was more powerful or sensitive, that it worked like that. Or maybe he himself studied his owner so well that he did not need an appeal? I must ask my grandmother sometime. Only when will I see her again?

– Magic is a gift and a responsibility. – Frau Mendelssohn’s words came through my thoughts. – You are just starting to learn and have no idea what hard work awaits you. It takes years to become a powerful magician and perform excellent spells. And in this school you will only lay the beginning of your path. Despite the fact that your magic is quite weak and the enchantment cannot seriously harm, never use magic recklessly. It is forbidden to use magic on other students at school. I know what I am saying. Temptations to resolve disputes or even joke are always present. Not once were students expelled for this, even from the elders Grant. Therefore, please remember this once and for all.

My dreams were crying to punish Zhamely with some kind of fire spell.

– Frau Mendelssohn, show us some powerful magic. – Asked Allan White. It seems this boy was braver than the others. He raised his hand and then stood up and said all this!

– Thinking, it can be arranged. You have just started school and a good incentive will be helpful.

Frau Mendelssohn slightly raised her palm with the rings, and already around the desks the wind blew, hundreds, thousands of small snowflakes swirled. I found myself in the snow in the forest. Huge fir trees surrounded me and the other students. Behind the white shroud of the blizzard, it was not visible what was hidden further. And Frau Mendelssohn stood in the center of this whirlpool of snow and was absolutely calm. Another moment, and the vision, if it was it, and not in reality, was gone. I didn’t have time to be scared, only amazed. I gripped my wand tighter.

– Wow! – I heard Allan’s enthusiastic exclamation. He twisted his head, trying to figure out where the blizzard had gone.

The teacher smiled contentedly as she watched our reaction. Then she said:

– Of course, you will learn in more detail about the weather charms and the charms of movement in space in the lesson from Mr. Thomsen. It is he who teaches «Chary».

And then suddenly Frau Mendelssohn started talking about order at school. And I was afraid that somehow she found out about my confrontation with Jamely and Matilda. After all, it is not possible that the discussion about this would have gone completely by accident?

– The school has rules. All of them are aimed not only at discipline and order. Compliance with some has been credited for your safety. For example, don’t leave your dorm at night. And outside the castle walls it is generally dangerous. And don’t ask me why. And that’s all. In turn, I want to add that Mr. Noel and his dog live and work in the castle. Of course, none of you have seen them yet. And it’s good if you don’t see. Well, Mr. Noel is the guardian of the castle. He protects these walls, the area around them up to the black forest. His work falls on night hours. But for Mr. Noel, it’s even better. I can’t imagine how he would have coped during the day. – And the corners of Frau Mendelssohn’s lips twitched in a slight smile. – And if you think that Mr. Noel can not be afraid, then his dog is definitely worth it. She… How could I put it mildly? She’s a ghost!

At the last word, the whole class froze. The teacher, focusing on the word ghost, swam along the piano and continued:

«Ghosts are not that rare. All the more so here. Frau moved her hand around her, as if pointing to the walls. – You probably remember that on the way to this castle you had to see the glow. You can find out for yourself what it is. It will be helpful to you. Let’s see which path you have already chosen. You will find a book about this in the library. This is your homework. I do not require it, but I advise it. This concludes the lesson. Everybody’s Free.

Chapter 9. Allan