《Canyon的魔法师们》塔里

2、Explore

　　-Kate-

　　I rose very early the next morning and found my way downstairs, where Mrs Forbes was sewing in her office. She still looked as pale as a thin paper. My mind was on breakfast and registration when suddenly, I thought of last night when she whispered something to me that I did not quite understand. What could it be Or was I too tired that I was hallucinating Curiosity took the best of me, so I decided to resort to the most straightforward way: I was going to ask her. Since I was well rested last night, I went back to the merrier myself.

　　"Mrs. Forbes, good morning! Thank you for taking me last night. I really appreciate it! I'm glad it has stopped raining today!"

　　"Good morning,Miss Lockwood. You are very early.I hope you have rested well. You are going to deal with a lot of things today. I believe Mr.Sparks will come pick you up soon." She was very civilized, and in a sense, very remote. She looked me straight in the face but I felt like instead of paying respect, she was examining my appearance, and even my thoughts. And the idea creeped me out a little.

　　"That would be nice. Thank you...about yesterday night, I remembered you were speaking to me when I was standing by the door. I'm sorry that I did not make sense of what you were saying back then because I was not even fully conscious. Mrs Forbes, I'm so sorry but do you still remember what did you say to me"

　　"I'm sorry but I did not quite understand your question, Miss Lockwood, I did speak to you about your room condition and what time to rise, but nothing else. What did you not make sense of" She looked truly confused as I put my question.

　　"I think I heard a murmur of a foreign tone." I pushed the question further, eager to remind her, but she narrows her brown deeper, looking perplexed. There's no point pushing the question anymore, because she obviously did not understand my question, or she was such a good liar that she could act like she was the last person on this earth that would whisper in an unknown language. So probably I was hallucinating. I dropped the question and started to ask about the school, and that was when Zach Spark's heavy steps heard and his broad figure caught by my eyes. I greeted him in a more passionate way than I did last night, and he seemed genuinely happy seeing me again.

　　"I see you look much brighter this morning, Miss Kate! Ready to embrace your new life here I promised Henry to lead you through this process since this is your first time going to school. He told me that you have been home schooled for ten years and might get nervous getting to REAL school. Ha, I say he worried too much! There! This little fairy was already making conversations with a stranger!"

　　"Thank you, Mr. Sparks, for helping me out. Mrs. Forbes has been very nice to me and I was asking questions about the school...I was thinking..."

　　"There! Brilliant child you must be, thinking and thinking too much about how this school works. Don't worry too much about rules and studies,you'll get to used to it eventually. Let me gave you a tour on campus after you have had your breakfast, miss. Let's go, Let me show you around!" Then off we went.

　　By noon I had finished registering and had unpacked my stuff in my officially assigned dorm. Zach was a great instructor. He had explained to me all specific rules, norms of the School of Stilson and Eleanor.

　　There were four apartments: Science and Engineering, Social Science, Language and Literature, and Physical Training, each has six grades. I registered for Language and Literature, but I was not excluded from taking classes in other departments. Grade is assigned according to the intellectual level of the students instead of their age. I had taken a response test for nearly an hour before someone broke into the test room and congratulated me for making the second grade at the age of 17. Students generally take intro classes in the first two years, and as they gradually level up to higher grades, they start taking more advanced and focused courses.

　　Henry had told me that this school was a much bigger school several centuries ago, when the practice of magic was not banned by the government.It was the best school for magicians, but following the extermination of magic era, the School of Stilson and Eleanor shifted gear and started taking in students of highest intellectual levels all over the continent. It was currently one of the most prominent and hotly debated schools.

　　While I was sitting in the lounge, thinking and analyzing everything I had just learned, the sound of several people's footsteps entered my earshot, along with their conversations.

　　"...I would not come near him for the entire world! I thought they expelled him for good!"

　　"But that poor older boy got better at the hospital, they have no further reasons. Besides, he was a rather mild and quiet person on the face; I don't think he is capable of killing that boy. "

　　"You don't understand, Paige, some people are good at it. He must be a mater of faking innocence. I don't believe him for the entire world! I tell you I don't!"

　　"Calm down, Cathy, the whole building can hear you..."
　　Then the door of the suite was opened, followed by the appearance of three girls, who, I think, must be my suite-mates. The first girl noticed me as soon as she entered. She seemed confused for a moment before she gave me a nice smile and walked towards me.

　　"You must be our new roomie!", she said as she offered to shake hand with me, "My name is Paige Morland, this is Catherine Meng, and this is Dorothy Blackington. Nice meeting you!" I then shaked hands with the other two girls when they addressed me after Paige Morland.

　　"I'm Kate Maria Lockwood, it's nice to meet you guys too." I had known them very well within a month,so I might just introduce them here.

　　Paige is a slender girl, not very tall; her face was ruddy and her appearance cheerful. She was not exactly a beauty on the strict term, but I found her manner very agreeable and her appearance pleasing. She had enough sense to be a valuable company and consultant.Catherine was the tallest of them, slender too, but in a queer way. I felt her body was elongated by some kind of external force instead of naturally made. She had a very high-pitched voice and she was the most talkative girl I had ever been acquainted with.Despite of her obvious extroversion, she was reserved in trusting other people. The last girl Dorothy was very plain, and did not talk too much, she is a sweet person for sure, but she was that kind of girl that you will never notice when submerging in the throng.

　　We were soon on friendly terms, and busy rearranging the public space. They were clearly gossiping about something just happened in the school, but I had not requested any explanations because none of them seemed willing to tell me the story, not even Catherine. She only told me that we were not supposed to know the whole thing, but since she worked for the school newspaper, she did hear some gossips.

　　Basically, what happened was that a student in the third grade had a fight with a sixth grade, and that older boys was beaten up so badly that the school had already expelled the younger one, but now the school was taking him back after less than a year! The event was a shock a year ago,that he had almost beat the other boy to death. Catherine said she didn't feel like spreading the rumors that he was going back when it was not confirmed. I totally understand, and since I had nothing to do whatsoever with this legendary warrior, I carried on with my laundry, and they too had gone back to their own business.

　　Tomorrow, after the Open Ceremony, I would be officially studying here at the School of Stilson and Eleanor. Despite the usual deserted feelings evoked by my parents' absence, my bitter miss for Herbert and Henry, I felt excited.