We walked across along the long red carpet and stopped in front of the first reception onto the left. The girl at the desk looked at us and then at Charles and smiled gleefully.
"Charles! How can I help you today?" she asked. Her voice was so shrill and high-pitched. Was Charles popular? But he's engaged. Why is she hitting on him? Weirdo.
"I've brought the Archarios' I was assigned. Just register that please." Charles said as he flashed a smile. He was a flirt. I had to tell this to Stellar to bust him.
The girl quickly nodded, a blush still prominent on her features. She levitated a pen; I kid you not, and made it write something in a register. I quickly forgot about telling on Charles and instead directed my attention to the floating pen.
Brenda and I just watched intently at the sight of a pen writing on its own. I had decided that I had to get me one of those. I could finally say good-bye to writing my homework.
"All done! Please proceed to the Auditorium with your Archarios', Charles." She beamed.
"Thank you, Crystal." Charles winked and waved. The girl, Crystal, only blushed.
"This way." Charles guided.
"I'm telling on you," Brenda stated. Charles stopped for a moment. He then looked at the two of us pleadingly.
"I can't help it okay? It's my powers," Charles explained. Brenda and I exchanged looks.
"What are your powers?" I asked out of curiosity.
"Minimal Charm and Enhancement," he said while starting to walk up the stairs.
"Enhancement?" Brenda asked while following him.
"I am stronger than the average human. I have enhanced senses. I also have spot-on instincts."
Brenda and I silently comprehended what Charles had said to us as we walked up the stairs. I'm not gonna describe the climb. All you need to know is that there were a million marble steps with a diamond as large as my fist embedded on the stairs after every two steps. The railings were made of gold and were embedded with rubies.
While climbing the stairs, I felt eyes on me. I felt eyes on me from... The diamonds. It was like they were staring into my soul.
After reaching the top, I huffed and I puffed and I blew the whole set down. Well, no, not exactly. I just let out a sigh of relief. Those eyes we're finally off me. That's it; I was not going down these stairs. I climbed up, reached my destination and now I'm going to die right here.
"Well, you look exhausted." Charles pointed out, or more like, teased. Brenda and I looked at each other. Both of us were exhausted.
"Whatever Charles, just take us to the Auditorium already." Brenda reminded.
"Right this way, ladies," Charles said as he gestured to the right.
After five minutes of walking in silence, we reached the Auditorium. Its large doors were guarded by two people. A scary-looking woman and a funny-looking guy.
The woman held out a crystal ball. Charles placed his right palm on it. It turned smoky green and we were let in.
The auditorium was already filled with people. All of them wore pretty dresses and suits.
"Wow, this is just making me insecure. I look like a freaking stick in this dress." Brenda muttered.
"You're telling me? I didn't wash my hair for the past three days." I muttered back.
"Then let's look like outcasts together!" Brenda cheered as she hooked her hand in mine. We giggled.
"Ugh, finally you came. I could hear you guys giggling from the other side of the Auditorium." Allen commented, appearing out of nowhere.
"Oh, it's you," I said unamused.
Allen Drake, the most stupid person on Earth looked extremely attractive for the first time in his miserable life. He wore a burgundy blazer with a white shirt underneath it, along with a black tie and vest coat. His pants were burgundy too.
I also noticed Flynn, the other classmate who got in the same car as Allen, trailing behind him in a dark green suit along with their driver.
"Okay, let's move upfront. Don't wanna waste your time talking to these brats." Charles said while smiling. We reluctantly agreed and left Allen and Flynn with their driver.
We stood somewhere in front of the stage along with the other beautifully dressed people, who all seemed to be my age and as confused as me. I noticed that there were people wearing uniforms. On their blazer, a logo was embroidered. It said MA.
Martial Arts!? I thought.
The crowd started moving to stand in an organized manner as they were instructed by the uniformed people. I got pushed around. Suddenly, bumped into someone. In the process, I stepped their foot with the heel of my shoe. I looked up to apologize. It was an Asian guy
"Watch it," he growled. I felt small. I've never felt small. I'm a very proud person but this rude Asian guy managed to make me feel small. Aren't Asians supposed to be cute, adorable people?! Shit, I think I'm stereotyping them.
"Who's that guy? I feel like I'm being oppressed." Brenda said as her voice wavered.
"I'll go have a word with him and his Protector," Charles suggested.
Protector?
Before I could ask him what a Protector was or before he could go talk to those people, the mic made that annoying high-pitched keeeeek sound that pulled your eardrums loose. We all quietened down and looked up at the stage to see who the cause of this nuisance was.
It was none other than my sister, Estelle, along with a handsome boy with the sharpest jawline I had ever seen in my entire life. It looked like it could grate cheese.
Estelle wore a violet checkered and pleated skirt with a white shirt and a violet tie with a black blazer that had the same logo the other people had. The boy had a darker shade of violet, and instead of a skirt, he wore pants. Duh.
"Hello and welcome to Magic Academy, where you, our gifted students, will be trained to use your magic wisely and efficiently to protect our universe," Estelle started.
"I'm Harmonica, Third Year and The Female President of the Student Council." Just as she introduced herself as Harmonica, a glowy purple mist of glitter surrounded her. She started glowing a bright purple colour and floated slightly off the stage.
When she landed, she was a different person. She was... Harmonica.
Harmonica was beautiful. She radiated peace and harmony. Her hair turned tuscan red which looked a little more like a dark shade of purple. She had a purple strand of hair too. Her eyes changed from onyx to purple.
Her clothes were changed too. They were now an elegant floor-length purple evening dress. They were shoulderless and sweetheart, just like mine. Now that I mentioned it, it looked just like mine, except the fact that it was purple and floor-length.
She looked over to me and winked. She then smiled at the audience. Somehow, it felt devilish.
"Let's just get to the point," the handsome boy said. His voice was beautiful. It was deep and though he sounded monotonous, his voice gave off the vibe of a rich person. I wondered if he came from a rich background. I mean, he's good looking and has a pleasant voice and his hair, oh, his hair. Or maybe I'm just stereotyping again.
His gaze was intense; it felt like he was stabbing everyone. His steel-blue eyes locked onto mine. He smirked at me.
"I'm Blade, also the President," he introduced. Blade, Blade, Blade, I repeated in the back of my mind. I saw some other girls swooning like me. Even Brenda became a victim to his charms.
"This auditorium will transform into a stadium where your power will be tested. The stadium will have power enhancers to make your power easy for you to sense." Blade informed. Keep talking—was my only thought.
"Obviously, some of you might be thinking, 'what, magic's real? There's no such thing as magic.' Well, guess what, it's real." Harmonica chimed.
"You might have experienced something weird that happened to you, something that could not be explained. That's because you're special. You have powers." Blade said.
"But, there's always a 'but'. If you do not possess any sort of magical abilities, you will be electrocuted," Harmonica said as she clapped her hands in excitement.
"Since we're short of time, let's move on to the magic test!" Harmonica cheered. "I hope there are many electrocutees this year."