The light coming through the windows in my room at the dorms was making every particle of dust visible. I sat on my bed and followed the particles with my eyes. It was still warm outside, but not as it was in the summer, so the windows were a little open to let fresh air come in. I tried to blow all the dust outside with my magic, but as soon as the soft wind I made disappeared, the dust was again floating around in the room. I was still thinking if I could get rid of it when Noriko came through the door.
We now lived together in the same room. I moved in a week before starting school and Noriko came the same day. Most rooms had two or three beds so everyone had at least a colleague with them. Although most students were nobles, living in the dorms was much simpler than at home. There were no personal maids so you had to prepare your clothes yourself, although there were maids who cleaned the rooms and the school had a cafeteria where you could eat anything you want. I found that there are some amazing desserts at the cafeteria, those types of desserts that have a homemade taste, as if your grandmother made them especially for you. The sweets we usually ate at home were exquisite and high quality, but they would sometimes feel too perfect and the focus laid in the appearance and not the taste. Not that they weren't good, they were, but there wasn't that homemade feeling to them.
"They have that delicious fruit parfait at the cafeteria again, Fredrika!" Noriko announced the moment she got through the door. "We have to have it again!" She smiled at me.
"Shall we go there now?" I asked already thinking about how good it was last time.
"No, no. It's too early. We'll get hungry again before we fall asleep." she said
"You can steal some cookies from the kitchen again. They were so good last time! Or maybe some leftovers." I smiled at her and licked my lips thinking about those. O God, I thought, we became big gluttons. We'll become obese if we continue like that.
As if reading my thoughts, Noriko responded:
"We will need to go on a diet soon if we don't stop munching on goods all the time. And, by the way, I didn't steal the food. Mary from the kitchen gave it to me." she pouted.
Mary was one of the cooks at the cafeteria and she seemed to take a liking to Noriko after the latter complimented her food. I also agreed that the food was very good, but, unfortunately, didn't get the special treatment. Well, at least one of us can sneak food in our room.
"Tomorrow is the last party before beginning school. My dress won't fit me if I keep eating with you." Noriko whined at me.
"You won't gain so much weight just from eating one time in the evening." I assured her, but was questioning myself about that.
We changed the subject to school matters. In just three days, the first semester will start and both of us were looking forward to it. In the first year we would be learning some magic basics, this was most interesting to me to achieve my two main goals. One was to try to stop the war before starting and the other was to protect the smiles I saw in town at that festival, as well as the smiles of my friends and family. That might be a bit too much for a 14 years old, but I'll try my best.
There were other subjects at school in the first year. Mainly history, literature and art. I had a big surprise when I saw that math was one of the subjects. But it made sense as you would like to know a little logic and arithmetic, at least, if you were to steer a country or a business. There were also three foreign languages which we will be learning, the languages of our closest allies. The only optional subject for first year was a fighting course which I did already apply to. No one can stop me now, muahahaha!
I convinced Norikon to let me braid her hair before going to dinner and she reluctantly accepted. Her crimson hair was very soft and so easy to play with, without getting tangled despite it being waist long. Sometimes, when the sunshine pierced her hair, it seemed as if fire was coming to life. I made a long and loose braid of her hair and left some free hair around her face. Her eyes were flickering at me after I finished my job. Big curious eyes on a small and porcelain-like face were looking at me. She looked like a doll, but not just pretty, a bit mysterious too. Of course I knew that the mystery was that she liked to munch on food as much as I did, but on the outside she was shining. Ohoho, Arild, I pity you! Ooooo, the competition you will have!
"Now we are ready to have dinner!" I exclaimed proudly.
"I don't think so!" she laughed while examining my clothes.
I looked at my pants and sweatshirt hanging on me and at the light blue silky dress with white daisies that Noriko was wearing and my smile disappeared a little. But it spiked up again.
"No, no." I said, "It's the newest fashion for all noble girls. It's very modern in other countries!" I defended myself.
"In the countries you will soon be living if your mother finds out that you wear these clothes in public." she mocked me and I grimaced at her as I started changing into a more adequate dress. A knee length yellow dress with small white branches on it. In three days we will be wearing our uniforms. Black, above the knee pleated skirts with two white lines the end and white blouse and blazer for the girls and long, black trousers and whit button-down shirts and blazers for the boys. We also had a grey sweater for colder weather. We could choose between bows or ties for both girls and boys.
We left the dormes and went across a large garden which had small coffee tables here and there and then to the cafeteria. There were such places overall at Spiritus. At the entrance there was the school building where most of the courses took place. Next to it there was the ballroom where the parties took place and between the two buildings there was a big greenhouse uniting the two buildings. It also had coffee tables and was warm even during winter. Behind the school and the ballroom buildings there was the garden we were crossing to get to the cafeteria which was in the same building with the classes. A forest which was now painted in the yellow and brown nuances with green pines spiking through it surrounded the whole area.
When we entered the cafeteria, a sweet smell encountered us and we smiled looking at each other. We each took a brick and sat ourselves in line to get the desired food. There weren't many people eating yet, there were still three days when you could check in so many students haven't arrived yet. While waiting for our turn, I saw someone with black hair sitting at a table nearby. I smiled while Damon looked up from his plate and met me with a smile. I gesticulate at him that we will come there after we get our food and he nodded. After filling our plates with delicious food and a big portion of parfait, we went to him and both sat across the table.
"When did you arrive?" I asked him directly.
"Hello to you too!" he smiled at me. "Hi Noriko!"
"Welcome to the most prestigious cafeteria, I mean school, Spiritus!" joked Noriko.
He started laughing.
"I just arrived a few hours ago, but it seems it was too late. Have you already proved all the manys?" He asked us with a serious face, but his smile was giving him away. I raised my left eyebrow at him.
"Haha," I said sarcastically. "Nobody can test all the food on the menu in just one week." I pouted.
"Well, I would be thinking the same, but I know you two." he laughed at us.
I attacked my food thinking what kind of reputation will I have if I keep it this obvious. The thought that such a rumour would get to my mother's years sent chills down my spine. Damon was still smiling at me amused so I grimaced back at him. That only made his smile bigger.
My friends started talking about school, while I was scanning the room. There were many empty tables. More than half were empty, actually. Probably most of the second and third year and especially the senior section wasn't that enthusiastic to come back earlier and waited to come back on the last day of vacation. That meant that many of them might miss the party tomorrow. It was the last party and it also was the only one where both the junior and the senior section had together.
As I was looking at the faces in the cafeteria, I realized that I didn't recognize many of them. It seemed that there were people who didn't come to the parties during this period, but they weren't alone either. Maybe they were second or third years. Or maybe they knew each other from before. While I was spacing out Arild came to our table and sat down across the table. He looked angry.
"Those stupid dumbasses were looking down on a commoner again." He said furious. "School hasn't even started yet and they are already looking for trouble. Oh, hi Damon! When did you arrive?"
"Hi! Not too long ago. " Damon responded short.
"Were there the same as yesterday?" I asked him. I felt my face darkening. Yesterday while we were taking a walk in the garden we saw four second years picking on a new student who seemed to be a commoner. They were so full of themselves and were bragging how they were so much better than those commoners that came to this school. It was Arild who intervened and I backed him up. At first they were laughing at us, but it seemed that one of them recognized us and they retreated.
"The exact same!" he answered.
"What could there be on their minds to openly bully people like that?" asked Noriko in shock.
"Well, that's the thing. Their minds are empty, so there's not much thinking there." I said with a smirk on my face and Arild accompanied me. "Maybe we should put some sense in that empty space instead." I looked at him and he seemed to agree.
"I hope that doesn't mean any fighting or bullying or anything to that regard." warned Noriko.
"Actually…" I began but stopped when I saw her piercing look. Hm… maybe it was a good idea to resolve all this diplomatically. If the nobles were to be bullied instead because of some commoners, the students would choose sides. "No." I responded and Arild looked at me a little disappointed. "Look, if we were to settle this with brute force, there will be some who will take their part and some who will take our. In the end the school will be split in half and no good thing will happen." I explained.
"Exactly my thoughts." agreed Noriko. "And they might actually be more powerful." she added.
"I doubt it." There were the words in my mind, but it was Damon who spoke. "Fredrika is very strong, I don't think there is someone in the first year who is stronger. Maybe not even in the whole junior section."
I didn't completely agree as there is at least one in the senior section, my cousin, of course and I didn't know how strong the princes were. But I didn't say anything because of the shock that he had so much trust in my powers.
"When it comes to magic you mean, but what if they use their fists. Let's just not do like last time." Noriko shut us down.
Arild was looking at me, probably wondering whether I was that strong or not before hearing Noriko and asked her what he was talking about. I nodded towards her that it's okay to fill him up with Damon and mine midnight adventures. I saw Arild's eyes growing wider and wider as Noriko told him about our fight while Damon was filling up some gaps.
"Hm… I better watch out myself around you." he concluded while my eyebrow went up again.