The Headmaster nodded towards me. “Headmaster Lien. Pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Lien let me go, and pulled out a notebook. “Let us talk. I have received notes from the truant officer, your homeroom teacher, several chefs from the cafeteria. A total of seventeen demerits thus far. There is also witness testimony of your leaving the school without permission, another two.” The corner of her mouth twitched in what might have been a smile. “Attempting

I glowered, and stamped my staff on the ground. “Lady, you have no clue what you are dealing with.” “No,” She said. She cracked her fingers. “It is you who have decided that one small taste of the truth defines it all. “But as words have little worth to you,” she bowed to me at the waist. “Come. Show what you can do.” Who was she? Mayor’s guard? A contracted assassin? Didn’t seem to be

I was fuming now. “I didn’t even want to go to that school. And then that stupid boy started being mean to Lana for no reason, so I blew up the window and walked on out of there.” The birds were quiet. They looked at me, considering. Then they turned to Lana. “Someone was mean to you?” Lana tried to disappear. When that failed, she nodded. “Uh huh.” “What did he look like?” Nahc said.

“Mel! Mel!” I stretched, and kept walking. I looked up, and saw that Lana had followed me. I waved. “Hey, Lana.” She motioned back to the Academy. “You’re going to get in trouble.” “Mmhmm.” I smiled. “Probably get about a bajillion demerits for that.” “Isn’t that a bad thing?” “Nah.” Of course it was. But it was a school bad thing. What were they going to do? Give me a bad report card? Whatever Throw

Today seemed to last a thousand years. First Mr. Grumbly was talking about history. But he kept referring to pages, and historians, and dates upon dates upon dates. After a few minutes, I decided to catch up on sleep. Demerit twelve. I perked up a bit when he started to talk about spells. But again, there was so much talking. Words like conservation of energy. Transmogication of the elements, mass and signs and quations. It

Blue Wheel Academy was just a few blocks away from the Mayor’s manse. In the northern part of town, and up-scale to a point that didn’t seem possible. The Academy had a fully manicured lawn, shimmering bluegrass that sparkled when I looked closer. Trees were lined up along the walk to the three-story building. And above the main doors to the building, was the eight-spoked blue wheel that must have been the symbol of the