[Sig – 13 years]
"Got all your stuff?" Aunt Rachel asks after I finish lacing up my shoes.
We're getting ready to go to Dragon Falls Middle School to find out which class I'm in for eighth grade, my schedule, check out its new magic training facility, meet my teachers, and acquire the shopping list for school supplies.
Then we'll go shopping for school supplies and stuff for me to grill for my friends. That's still set for lunch and I'm a little excited for it.
"Shirt on," I say. "Phone, keys, wallet, grocery list, and rocket launcher. Yup! Got all my stuff!"
"Come on!" Aunt Rachel rolls her eyes while trying not to laugh.
We head out to the car and she drives us to the middle school. Upon arrival, the new magic training facility is really obvious. It's a large addition to the school and is even bigger than the gym and pool combined.
A magic training facility for a middle school being that large is surprising. I just thought it would probably be about the size of a gym but I guess not. Thinking about it, they probably want more space if they're going to have dozens of kids casting spells in it.
Spacing people out so they don't risk hurting each other is pretty important.
The fact that Adrian King managed to buy the properties in the way and around it, get everyone moved out, get the buildings demolished and lots renovated so fast is impressive. His companies being able to not only do that and get such a large building constructed is even more impressive. That's what proper mages can do when they work together on a task.
One day, I'll be that talented. Not necessarily in construction, just with magic in general. Talented enough to wield lightning, even.
We enter the school through the front doors. Straight ahead, on the opposite side of the lobby, is what's normally a concessions stand for games. The shutter is up right now and there are a few staff members behind it, and that's where I'll get my ID for this school year once we get my packet.
Aunt Rachel and I head to the cafeteria, which is to the left of that. Several tables have been set up for parents and guardians to acquire the necessary papers for this year. There's one set for each of the four grades here – fifth through eighth – and those are split into three. The tables themselves are organized by last name, to make acquiring our packets easier. The school has roughly one hundred fifty or so kids per grade, so we're split into six classes of about twenty-five.
Dragons Falls isn't that small, but it has a decent amount of residents on the wealthier side. The same goes for the other towns here. Many of the kids who would go here attend one of the private schools instead. Otherwise, we'd have twice as many students, at least.
"Hey, S.G.!" A voice calls from the next line over, and I spot Ann standing there.
"Hey, Ann!" I say. "Didn't see you at the park much since the camping trip!"
"Yeah," she says. "We went on another, and I've been hanging out at some other places. Do you still hang out with Xander?"
"A lot, yeah," I nod. "He's become one of us!"
"So a massive dork?"
"Well, not on that level," I tell her. "But he joins us if he's feeling up to socializing. Oh! We did find out some stuff – he moved into Dragon Falls from Hidden River, but he'll be homeschooled this year. So he won't be here. You might see him sometimes, though, if he ever comes over to hang out with us once school lets out. And he doesn't dye his hair anymore, and he wears it shorter now. Oh, and he's got glasses. So you might not recognize him unless he's got Trenton out."
"Trenton?"
"His bear," I clarify. "He-"
"Hey, S.G.!" Someone says as he approaches.
"Hey, Jake!" I give him a fist bump.
"Hey, Ann," Jake greets her. "How's it going?"
"Don't want summer to end," she complains. "It's too short!"
"It definitely is," he agrees.
The school will be open most of the day, but there are still plenty of people showing up now to grab things, meet the staff, and check out the place their kids will be learning at. Many of them bring their kids, and by the time it's our turn at the table, I've been greeted by half a dozen kids in my own grade and at least as many incoming seventh graders.
"Name?" The teacher at the table asks when it's our turn.
"S.G. Bellman," I say before Aunt Rachel can say my name.
"I think she needs your full name, Sig," Aunt Rachel says.
"Nope," the teacher says as she goes through the stack of manila envelopes. "Our system's designed to allow for a preferred name, and that's what shows up on the rosters for teachers. If 'S.G.' is listed as his, then that's what's on the class rosters and what's on these."
She holds up the envelope for us, which has "S.G. BELLMAN" on the sticker for it.
"This makes things easier," she explains to my aunt. "It ensures that teachers know the name which a student is registered as wanting to be called by, so that they call them by that from the start rather than needing to ask. It's especially helpful if someone goes by their middle name. And it ensures that if we have a substitute teacher, they know what the call the student."
"They're pretty strict on that, too," I tell Aunt Rachel. "If it's not the preferred name for us in the system, they can get into a lot of trouble for it. Like, when I switched from my real name to my initials, there was a teacher who refused to call me by it. He got suspended after I reported it and they verified my claim."
"The safety and comfort of our students is important," the teacher says. "There are limits to that, of course, but this is one of the policies we have. It can be pretty upsetting to be called by the wrong name, which can make it difficult to focus on the lessons."
Which is entirely reasonable. Anyone who says otherwise is just an ass.
"Let's see," the teacher pulls a paper out of the envelope. "It looks like all required vaccinations were taken care of and submitted, and he's had a recent physical and checkup for his ears and eyes. We don't need any other paperwork from you, so just head over to the concessions stand and they'll take his picture for his ID."
She slips the paper back into the envelope and pulls out another.
"Give this to them," she says. "After you get his ID, you'll be allowed to check out the rest of the building."
"Alright," Aunt Rachel accepts the envelope and the paper.
"Also," the teacher says. "You'll find his class schedule for the year in there, along with two copies of the student handbook and a page to sign. One copy of the book for you, one for him. That page to sign is both of you to sign. It acknowledges that he's read and agrees to abide by the rules and policies within it. You sign to acknowledge that you understand he must abide by the rules and that you and he both know what they are. The disciplinary process is outlined in it as well, though it's not comprehensive as some situations can warrant alternative measures."
"Not that that's a problem," I tell Aunt Rachel. "I'm a well-behaved kid!"
"Most of the time," the teacher to the left of the one in front of us snorts. "You don't get into real trouble, but you can be a bit of a goofball, S.G."
"Your chair was upside-down when I entered the room."
He laughs in response to that and I grin at him before looking back to the lady in front of us.
"Are you new?" I ask. "I don't recognize you."
"I'm Mrs. Joanna," she says. "I'm a mage instructor certified under the Lumaria Group's Magic Development Agency."
"So you'll be one of the instructors?" I ask. "Cool! I know a little bit of magic, started learning it last summer from a private teacher. Got a new one this summer after finding out my old one was teaching me wrong."
"Some do that," she nods. "We've all been certified under a strict education process to ensure we know the proper way to teach magic. I've spent fifteen years as a private instructor. The classes here will be more generalized with a focus on the basics rather than getting into specializations. If you're taking magic lessons on your own, you can still learn new things from both."
I'll have to see how I feel about taking both once I've been through the class a few times. It might not be worth continuing to spend money on private lessons if I'm in a class for it here as well. That would also free up time in the afternoon for more hanging out.
But there's also a chance that I'll still like my Monday evening classes, so I'll stick with them for at least a few more weeks.
Aunt Rachel and I thank Mrs. Joanna, then head to the concessions stand. The actual picture is taken in the hall to the right of the stand, which grants access to one of the entrances into the gym. The other entrance at this end is directly to the right of the concessions booth, before the cafeteria.
"A school lanyard rather than plastic?" Aunt Rachel asks when I'm given my ID and the lanyard is offered to me.
The lanyard is a green fabric one with DFMS in gold lettering and an easy-snap clasp at the end so that it'll undo if there's force on it. That makes it so that if the front gets snagged on something, we don't get choked.
"We switched away from those over a decade ago," Mr. Smith, the staff member who gave us my ID, says. "They might cost us a decent amount to provide free, but they're sturdier and last longer than the plastic ones, and reduce waste."
Even if plastic lanyards can be recycled and will decompose, unlike in some of the alternate-Earth fictions we've had to read in class, that's still a lot of waste. Most students toss them at the end of the year. And they can break easily, especially if the student is outside a lot while wearing them.
From what I've heard, the amount of students who replace their lanyards went down after the school switched to the fabric ones. The reason I was offered a lanyard is because most students keep theirs from year to year. I still have mine from last year, which is the same one I had the year before, which is the same one I had the year before.
Three years of use has caused its colors to fade a little. Not a ton, but enough that I do want a new one. My final year of middle school deserves a good lanyard for it.
"Yes, please," I say, and Mr. Smith hands me the lanyard. I clip my ID onto it, then pull it on around my neck. "Thanks!"
If Xander's willing to enchant it so that it doesn't fade or snag or anything, how much would be a fair amount to pay him? I'll need to look that up as I'm sure that if he does enchant it, he'll try to offer it for free. Either that or for ridiculously cheap.
Xander knows he's talented but I think he struggles to accept the value of his talents. There's no way I'm going to take advantage of that and I want him to know it.
We walk through the school after that and meet some of the teachers. I already know most of them but Aunt Rachel doesn't and she wants to. This also gives us the chance to learn the class-specific rules and lets me map out the path from class to class.
It really isn't that much different from last year, aside from just changing the order I walk to the different wings. Our school has the middle school kids move from room to room rather than being in the same classroom all day apart from a couple of things.
My first class is Honors Geometry, the top math class for an eighth-grader here. That means my first class is in the math wing of the school – it's divided into different wings. From there, I go to Life Sciences in the science wing and will be in a class with a lot of additional rules. That's understandable, though, since we do lab work in the science classes.
Such as dissection. That's something restricted only to the eighth graders so I'll get to do that for the first time this year. I know a lot of us are looking forward to it.
Third Hour is the physical/magical class. Every grade has the same subject all at the same time, so all of the eighth grade will be participating.
With one hundred fifty students in each grade, there are eight fitness instructors, but we call them by "Coach" rather than "Mr." or "Mrs." or whatever. Like most schools in North America, there's a big focus on fitness for the PE class.
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
That's probably from the influence of Adrian King. The play backpack initiative is another thing of his, even if a lot more recent than the "take PE seriously in school" thing. What it means is that the class isn't really optional without a good reason. It's why there are very few overweight kids, even if there aren't too many as fit and well-defined as me. The teachers are pretty strict on at least minimal participation.
Not that it's hard to get us active. This is how it's been since we entered the school system at the age of five. We're all used to activity and by the time it's time for PE, we all actually want to get up and move around.
It seems that things got changed up a little for this school year as well. Martial arts is now a part of the curriculum and Mondays and Wednesdays will be us learning that. Four of our coaches were already certified instructors, and the other four spent the summer learning. They aren't black belts, but they're good enough to at least assist the others in teaching us.
The gym can hold two hundred students comfortably, and even have two hundred students learning martial arts at the same time. They aren't doing that, though. All of the eighth grade might be in PE at the same time, but we're actually split into two groups based on gender. Boys in one half and girls in the other. That still totals out to about seventy-five in each class as the ratio is fairly even here.
The girls will have martial arts on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and they'll have magic and fitness on Mondays and Wednesdays, respectively.
As for us boys, we'll have magic and fitness on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Fridays is the athletics day, where we play sports and stuff. My half will do swimming on the second and fourth Fridays of the month, while the other half will do it on the first and third. If a month has a fifth Friday, that's just another athletics and fitness day while some students will get to swim.
The fitness days are days where we mostly do exercises, but some of the class will be in the weights room. This is exempting days where the fitness class which overlaps the martial arts class would need to be in the gym as well. Winter and rainy days are the mains for that.
In those cases, the fitness class will be split with half in the weights room and the other half in the wrestling practice room, doing exercises in there.
After that is Lunch and Advisory, though I have them flipped. They each take up half of a period on their own rather than a full period. The seventh and eighth grade all have lunch at the same time, and the fifth and sixth grade have it at the same time. Our cafeteria's big enough for that so they're able to fit everyone in there between the two halves of Fourth Hour.
From there, it looks like I'll go to Language Arts, then over to the social studies wing for Kenzibri History. My final class of the day is Culinary Arts, and I'll have this same schedule next semester with one change – Culinary Arts is replaced with Art.
There are several classes we could choose from for our electives and we were told to mark each with a number indicating how much we wanted it. A one on it meant we wanted that class the most, and we marked them in descending order with ascending numbers. Who got into their desired classes depended on how quickly they turned in the forms, for the most part.
It looks like I got both of mine, but I always do my best to turn them in fast. I'm not really interested in art, but I wasn't really interested in music, drama, photography, programming, and stuff like that. Eighth grade is also the first time we're allowed to take the culinary class.
I picked it because I wanted to learn cooking and stuff, to help me make better food at home. They probably won't be big cooking classes but just simple stuff, but that still works for me.
Our next destination after that is the magic training hall. It's absolutely massive, and a lot of things are set up in it already. Training targets, shelves with training tools, and more. We're allowed to look at the stuff in here and even touch or use them while checking things out.
This lets mage families know that they're using quality items. Not all mage families are ancient, some are young. Like me. I'm a first-generation mage so I'm fairly weak even if my mana growth rate seems to be abnormally high for some reason. There are a few other families in the school district which have used magic for several generations and their kids are about as strong as I am, maybe a little bit more.
I'm not really familiar with magic training tools, though. Out of curiosity, I pick up an orb sitting on a shelf. The shelf itself has little dips in it so the orbs don't roll around, and the orbs are about three inches in diameter. They look to be metal and have a faint blue tint to them, along with markings all over them.
Wait. Is that… it is! A very small marking that's not just a line or geometric shape: a logo. It's a pair of crossed mage's staffs with wings sprouting out of the sides of the X they form. In the upper part of it is a circular eye image, and in the lower part of is "XANSON TECHNOLOGIES".
Xander makes magic training tools? I suppose it could come from Greyson, but I'm fairly certain this was one of Xander's inventions. It honestly wouldn't surprise me if Xander made it as a training tool for himself.
I'll ask him about it the next time I see him.
"That's a mana training tool," Mr. Casey, one of the magic instructors in here, joins Aunt Rachel and me at the shelf. "It's to help you learn how to channel your mana out of your body. It lights up where a person's mana comes into contact with it. If they channel their mana into it, it'll glow blue. The tool can be used for more advanced training as well.
"See the markings?" He picks one up. "If you channel your mana into the inside of any of the circles like this," the inside of one of the circles turns into a small bump. "It changes its shape. If you channel it along one of the lines running the circumference of the sphere," the bump disappears as the sphere splits in half and the two halves move apart to reveal another sphere inside, though they seem to still be attached. "You gain access to the middle core. There are three levels to it, and each marking does a different thing. It can help one practice channeling mana, learn to tell how much they're using, and their mana manipulation skills.
"In order to do anything in the middle core," he continues. "You need to be able to maintain the flow which split the sphere in the first place. See how only one of the two edges is glowing? When it splits, you're actually only channeling mana into one half of the 'line' you see. You need to continue channeling mana all the way around it to keep the sphere open. If you don't…"
The sphere closes as I decide that this is definitely something Xander would have made. It's far too much like the puzzle spheres with the fact that it changes for it to not be.
"That's for when someone's made it to that level," Mr. Casey tells me. "Which isn't recommended until you can manage to do all of the different tasks on the outer layer. The ones in the middle layer are a much higher level of difficulty, on top of requiring you to maintain a mana flow into something else."
"How much can you do?" I ask as I try channeling mana into just the line of one of the circles instead of the center on the sphere I'm holding.
The circle lifts up out of it just a tiny bit, reminding me of Xander's puzzle spheres even more. Yup. These are Xander's creation alright. I have to keep mana flowing into just the edge of the circle for it to stay up. As soon as I stop, it closes.
"I can do a little in the inner layer," Mr. Casey answers. "But not much. Completing the outer layer is all that's needed to be considered an experienced manipulator of mana. That's also all you'll need to cast pretty much any basic spell. The middle layer goes into more advanced techniques, required for more advanced magics."
"And the core layer is probably for extremely advanced mana manipulation techniques," I conclude.
"Indeed," he chuckles. "There are similar tools already out on the market, but those are mostly for basic mana manipulation techniques. Your friend doesn't do half-measures, does he?"
"No, he doesn't," I say before realizing what he said. "Wait. You know about Xander?"
"I can trace an unbroken line of mages in my family back three hundred years," he chuckles. "I'm not from an ancient mage family, but it's still a pretty old one. I keep up-to-date on current developments in the magic community. Your friend's made some pretty big waves. I've also seen your own streams, the ones where you're showing your magic training progress. You even did it while camping, which is surprising. Most kids wouldn't think of that."
There was internet at the campground so we connected to it for about twenty minutes so I could do the stream. Sam made sure to log all of the numbers for my progress, and I updated the spreadsheet when I got home.
"I wanted to make sure I do it every week," I tell him.
"Most of the earlier classes," he says. "Will be teaching students how to sense their mana and manipulate it. That will likely take most of this semester for most students. For those who know how to use their magic already, we'll be starting off with basic mana shaping exercises. This tool will be one of the ones used for that, as it combines several existing types into one.
"Private instructors," he continues. "Like what you've got, mostly focus on teaching you the techniques needed for specific spells. Their assumption is that you'll practice the basics at home so that the private session can focus on actual spellcasting. What you'll be learning from us will help you improve the base, which will make those lessons more effective."
"So you won't be teaching spells?"
"We'll teach some," he tells me. "That's mostly for students who can already do it, like you. But it won't be specialized like what a mage parent might teach or what you can get from a lesson. Our main focus is ensuring everyone has the basics."
In other words: mana shaping ability. The spells they teach us will mostly be a way to teach us the right methods. Someone entering kindergarten this year will probably be learning more spells once they reach the eighth grade than we are, but that's because they'll be beginning their ninth year of learning magic at a school.
That's kind of unfair, but it makes sense. This is a program that's just beginning, so the majority of students don't know how to use mana at all. Giving them a class as if they've already been using magic for eight years just wouldn't work out.
At least it seems they're ensuring that students who already know how to use magic will have stuff to learn as well.
"And you can test out as well," he adds. "There are three devices which tests for that, and you have to be able to make it to the inner core of all three."
"Are they all from Xanson Technologies?"
"They are," he smiles a little.
"Something tells me the testing-out test is deliberately made difficult," Aunt Rachel says.
"Of course it is," I roll my eyes. "Xander probably made these as training tools for him. And he manipulates time and space the same way some kids eat candy. His great-grandfather probably didn't bother lessening the difficulty on the tools on purpose."
"The classes," Mr. Casey says. "Are designed to ensure all students know how to use magic and become competent in it and have proper skills. Letting someone test out just because their family's used magic for a few generations wouldn't ensure that those students have developed skills outside of what their family uses. In fact, it means that they might fall behind their peers in the basics. By holding them to the same strict standard as everyone else, it means that even their own abilities can improve – and this can actually strengthen a bloodline."
Huh. I didn't know a bloodline can be strengthened in that way. Using the magics within it isn't enough by itself, but improving one's base skills does. That's really surprising.
"That makes a little bit more sense," Aunt Rachel says.
I put the sphere back and look at some of the other stuff here, then Aunt Rachel and I leave. There's more for us to do before lunch and we can't stay here looking at stuff all morning if we want to get everything else done.
With our school supply list acquired, we head to the store.
"Remember," Aunt Rachel says as we enter the section with school supplies. "My budget is limited, so if you want something better than from the selection I indicate, you'll need to pay for the upgrade yourself."
That's still better than in previous years. I've had to pay for my stuff entirely on my own for the last few years. My parents never took me school supply shopping.
"Yes, ma'am!" I salute, and she gives me a light bop on the back of the head.
We go through the school supply section and pick up everything I need for the eighth grade. There are only a few things a little bit better than she's willing to purchase. Mostly my backpack and the pencils and pens. There's no way I'm going to cheap out on those.
Once we have all of my needed school supplies in the cart, we make our way to the grocery section. One of the conditions for me grilling for my friends today is that I buy the stuff I need for it. The food stuff, not a grill and charcoal and matches. Aunt Rachel is fine with spending $10 on snacks every few days for us but not for feeding us a big meal.
If that became a regular thing, then she'd not have any money at all since she doesn't actually make a ton from her work. Not when having to also pay all of the bills and also making sure I'm eating healthy. This is especially true because our place is sort of becoming the hangout spot.
The dads will help pay for big meals that we all do together with them, but us just choosing to hang out somewhere is a different story as well. They tend to limit us on that to two or three times as week, depending on how much they've spent on snacks for us.
That's fine, though. I have a lot of money from the testing days and from the various jobs I do in the area. It's also not as if I'm the only one buying food for our hangouts, either. We always split who buys stuff based on their allowances for the week and how much extra money I have leftover from my jobs.
"Do I have to buy the other stuff?" I ask. "The others already said they were bringing stuff."
Aunt Rachel insisted that I also buy something to drink, two sides, and a dessert if I'm grilling. This is the third time I've asked her if I really need to. Telling me to doesn't make any sense when others are bringing things.
"Yes," she says. "You never know if someone might have to cancel last-minute, or if they forget. A good host always has backups. If no one eats them, you can save them for next time. I'm sure that'll be within a few days, especially since I'm sure you'll want to do the sleepover tomorrow at our place."
"Yeah," I nod. "Like, we aren't the only one with a basement and or a pool, but we just like hanging out there. Thanks for letting us."
Connor's got both a basement and a pool as well, but we all still prefer to hang out at my place now. That might be because our backyard is bigger than his. There's more room for us to run around than at his place.
"You're welcome," she ruffles my hair. "You can pick out a veggie tray and fruit tray if you want to be indecisive. Those cost a little bit more, so you can also stick to smaller things. A bag of baby carrots is only two bucks, but you want to get a couple of different options. Make sure to get a fruit as well, and don't forget the toppings for the burgers."
"Aaargh!"
I grab everything I need, but remind Aunt Rachel that I have a watermelon at home that I bought specifically for today. She tries to insist on having a second fruit option, but I refuse. One fruit and one vegetable is enough. My friends are coming and they're bringing stuff.
Once we've got everything, we head to the checkouts and pay for our things, then head home and put everything away. There's still time until I need to start getting ready for the barbecue so I sort out my school supplies. Remove the wrappers, label with my names the things which need it, put it all in my backpack, and tuck my school ID into a pouch in the front pocket of it.
A quick check in our chat lets me know that I've still got at least half an hour before they show up. I don't want to start grilling until my friends are all here so that I know for sure what all will be here as sides. Then I can be smug with Aunt Rachel about my friends bringing sides and dessert and there not being a reason to buy all of that extra stuff.
Well, my friends other than Xander respond. It's unlikely that he's coming but also that he might think that he's not invited just because he wasn't explicitly invited.
[Sig]: Xander! Are you gonna come?
[Connor]: Yeah! You coming?
[Sam]: We'll miss you if you don't!
[Isaac]: We wanna hang again if you're feeling up to it! It's been too long!
It takes Xander about a minute to respond. When he does, it's a picture of him in the kitchen at his home, taken from a distance. Ms. Katie probably took it, then. His dad should still be at work right now.
In the picture, Xander's standing in front of a counter, dressed in his usual jeans, socks, and a long-sleeved shirt, this one dark green. I doubt he's taken off his friendship bracelets since putting them on so I'm not surprised to see one of those peeking out from under his left sleeve. For a moment, the pink braided bracelet peeking out from under his left sleeve confuses me, but then I remember that he sent us a picture of just his arm with his new bracelets on it last night. They're all leather, and I'm guessing they're enchanted as well since the black ones have silver runes set into them.
Over the rest of his outfit, he's wearing a light green apron. That makes sense considering where he's at. Xander's always wearing an apron while cooking for some reason.
Sitting on the counter behind him is a bag of flour, a container of milk, some butter, cheese, cream, and noodles. I guess that means he's getting ready to make lunch for himself. Probably mac and cheese. Why does he have flour, though? That seems a weird ingredient for mac and cheese.
I guess that means he's not joining us, then. That's a shame, but I did expect that since he spent the weekend socializing. At least we'll see him at bowling tomorrow at the latest!
[Sig]: Have fun with the cooking! I hope it comes out great!
[Xander]: Thanks.
Now that I have answers from all of my friends, what should I do until it's time to set things up?
Do You Think Xander Will Eat the Mac-and-Cheese By Itself?
