"Did you hear that?" Fina asked
"No. Let's go"
Zora burped.
"Eew, Zo."
Zora just stuck her tongue at her.
"It's been a while since I have eaten something I really like"
As they walked away from the corridor, Fina glanced back and saw a ghostly figure appear. With a blink of an eye, it disappeared.
They hurried into spell class and almost blew it up with only ten seconds. Both were surprised when the door open on its own.
They sighed in relief when they entered the class and jumped when they heard their spell teacher's voice.
"I do not accept lateness. And you are late. Everyone should always be here before me or you won't be let in at all" He said coldly "It's David Walker by the way. Everyone take out your wands"
David Walker looked young unlike Mrs Knight who it seems was in her mid forties. David Walker probably looked like he was in his early thirties just like Miss Zedler.
He has short blonde hair with hazel eyes and handsome too with all the junior girls staring at him dreamily.
Before moving to the front of the large white board, he cast Fina and Zora a look and they flinched, moving so quickly to get a seat.
The room was large too with strange writings on the walls. There were rows of chairs and desks. Glass.
Fina and Zora found a seat at the back. A seat in which Zora kept complaining that it doesn't fit her height.
"Then don't come late to class again!" Mr Walker said
Every student turned to look at them. EVERY!
And they were many.
Most, they do not know their faces even when their classes have been divided now.
Zora looked at her hands. Probably on the brink of crying.
"In front of you is the school bag." Mr Walker said and the whole class turned back to him. "It's been cast with spells. It packs anything so do not get it lost or stolen"
It was as if all the words coming from Mr Walker was filled or packed with ice. He looked stern and extremely unfriendly. And he also looked as if he wanted to be anywhere but teaching a bunch of new students who came late in his first class.
The bag was small but not too small and everyone was given different colors.
Fina stared at her pink bag and then glanced at Zora's green one.
"Put your stuffs in it"
They all did as they were told.
Their books disappeared in the bag.
"Now, take the book inside the bag"
As they did so, they all brought out a new spell book with blue covers.
"Write" Mr Walker commanded.
They took a pen from the bag.
"I do not want a single sound to be heard from any angle" Mr Walker said "And I do not tolerate lateness in my class"
He glanced at Fina and Zora as he said it and they shivered.
Both wonder which was creepier between Mr Walker and Miss Zedler. They went for the latter.
As he spoke, a black quill was writing his words on the board even though he was not looking at it.
"No one will ask questions until permission is granted and if I see that you are sloppy, I will definitely kick you out of my class. Definitely"
The whole class was eerily silent.
"Good" Mr Walker said with a very stiff expression.
"We will start with the Easy spells or the POCULUS" He said "I presume you all know how to use your wands right? Don't answer. That doesn't concern me. As long as you listen attentively, you will get it."
He went to take a seat beside the board.
"Don't be fooled. It might be called 'easy' but it's not easy. Magic in Elfina is very tricky. If you don't take easy magic spells seriously, they won't work. The energy behind a spell is your own focused will and longer spell do make it easier to stay focused. Concentrate more to give it the power it needed. Concentration matters"
He brought out his own book wand and motioned for them to raise it up.
"Poculus is always a normal day spell. It's important and if you don't get it, you might as well give up now."
When no one made any move to walk out, he continued.
"The pronunciation matters. If you do not get the way it's pronounced, the spell is nothing. Wrong vocalization might be dangerous and others might be harmless. It depends." Mr Walker said, crossing his legs.
"The staircase needs your destination to work, so you concentrate harder. Your mind says the destination and you add Poculus to your spell. If you get the wrong vocalization, it won't take you anywhere and if you get the first half of the pronunciation, it will take you up a bit and push you off in the middle. Any questions?"
No one answered.
"Good. The pronouncement is the most important. And there is the mind spell which you can do if you do not want to vocalize but only if you are good at it. Not just good. Expert in it. Because you will need to depend on your intuition especially if you are in danger and if you cannot handle the mind spell part, you will endanger your life. Thoroughly. So don't bother with it. I doubt you will be in danger at all if you do not stray or put your nose to where it doesn't belong"
That was a clear warning to all of them- Fina thought.
They all watched as Mr Walker waved his book wand.
"You shouldn't wave your wooden wand like a drunkard. Just some little twists of the wrist and you are fine"
"What spell is that?" He asked
Nancy Miller raised her right hand.
"It's Miss –
"I never ask you to tell me your name. It's a thing I will know based on how I see you. Based on how good you are. You will have to earn it yourself. And I don't see that happening anytime soon"
"It's 'AZEMTRUM POCULUS'"
"Wrong"
Jackson raised his left hand.
"AZEMUM POCULUS"
"Wrong"
A red hair girl raised her right hand.
"AZEMBUM POCULUS"
"Wrong"
Half of the class got it wrong.
"I had a feeling this would happen" Mr Walker said with a smile.
Not a smile.
A very satisfied smirk. Like their failure appeased him.
"I never thought it would be this-
"It's 'AZEMBRUM POCULUS" Fina whispered to Zora. "It's an opening spell. All the windows opened slightly when he waved his book wand"
That stopped Walker from completing his statement.