"Are you ready for your first day of school?" I stood in front of my parents wearing a white shirt with the collar showing through the black sweater with a school emblem on it. I had a brown backpack on and a small hat. "I feel stupid."
"You look stupid," I overheard Adrian say. "I know it may feel stupid, but Tugrose is a very prestigious school. Even better since we didn't have to pay..." I sighed mentally. It seemed that I would have to deal with it.
"Once school is over, one of us, probably your mother, will be there to pick you up. Alright, let's go!" I walked in between my parents as we walked to the school. It seems that the butterflies you get in your stomach your first day never go away. I felt nervous as we walked. Was I of the average strength of the children my age? Was I below? My father could tell I was getting nervous, so he patted me on the back. "It'll be fine."
We arrived at the school, and a teacher stood in front. "Child name?" The woman was a bit shorter than my mother, and she had gray hair and wrinkles. "Balere Lowell." Finally, my last name!
"Ah, the 'exceptional' student the headmaster spoke about. The tuition fee?" I could see my parents begin to sweat, but I stayed calm as I heard feet walking toward us. "They do not need to pay."
The teacher turned to see Headmaster Acuzio. "I've made an exception for them. Please, come with me." I turned to my parents who shrugged.
We followed the man inside the school, and down a well-lit hallway. He opened a door and entered a classroom, with us following close behind.
"H-headmaster? What brings you here?" A young teacher with orange-brown hair and green eyes says while standing straight. "I came to show my pick. Please, come in."
We walked in, and I saw all of the other kids in there. "This is Balere. Balere, this is Ms. Oriol. This class is for kids your age who have already awakened."
He walked past me. "Bye, Balere!" Lucille waved bye as they all walked out. The door shut, and my teacher came up to me. "Your seat is in the front row. Your name will be on a piece of paper."
I walked to my seat and sat down. I looked around and saw students talking amongst themselves. They probably went here last year, so they know each other. As for me, I don't know anyone here.
A student sat next to me as I pulled out a journal. "Hi, are you new here?" I turned and saw a girl with black hair and green eyes with yellow around the pupil. "I am. I'm Balere." She smiled. "Celesse," She referred to herself before continuing, "Do you know what type of magic you can use yet?" I shook my hand. "I have a few spells, but no affinity yet."
I heard a bell ring, and all of the students sat straight in their seats. "Good morning class! I am your teacher, Ms. Oriol, and I will be your teacher for the next few years. You will have me until you turn 10. Is everyone excited?"
If you asked a class of students that in my past life, you'd be met with groans. Unlike then, the class was excited. "Good. For those who are new," She said while staring at me, "let me explain this class. We will go over magic theory, and teach important spells to you, students. I would recommend becoming friends with one another because there will be group projects."
She grabbed a stick and brought it in front of the class. "I think since it's our first day, I'll let you show off what you know about magic. Who'd like to come first?" A student in the back raised his hand. "The headmaster's pick is in our class, right? Can we have him show us what he can do?" Wow, it didn't take long for that to get out there. Wait... what does he mean by 'headmaster's pick'?
"Balere, would you like to go first?" I shook my head. "I'd rather not. I don't think I'm special, so maybe someone else should go first."
The girl next to me raised her hand. "Then I'd like to go!" She ran in front of the class and took a deep breath. "Skies hear my call, nimbus augustis!" A small, white cloud appeared in her hand, and she soon appeared quite fatigued. "Very good!" The class clapped in awe. Celesse smiled proudly and sat back next to me.
One student after another went, doing less than what Celesse could do. Soon, I was the only one left. I stood in front of the class and cleared my throat. "The headmaster told us you could do a lot, so just do something like Celesse," Ms. Oriol whispered in my ear.
I sighed and a black cloud, about the size of my head, appeared in front of me. "Why didn't you chant?" The teacher queried. "I have to chant to use magic?" The cloud went around the room, bouncing on students' heads. The teacher's voice was caught in her throat, and she eventually sighed. "Just sit down..."
Maybe I was too experienced for this class... When I sat down, Celesse grabbed my arm. "That was so cool!" I chuckled awkwardly. "Was it?" She nodded. "I haven't seen anyone do that so well!" Nice.
She released my arm and I rested my arm on my hand. "What does it mean to be the headmaster's pick?" She tilted her head. "You don't know? Alright, let me explain. Every time a new headmaster takes over, they at some point pick a student with great potential. That student gets a lot of recognition from it." So it's just a favoritism thing? "How long has Headmaster Acuzio been running this place?"
"40 years." I turned to Ms. Oriol. "I went to this school a while ago, and no one thought he was going to pick anyone in his run."
He waited 40 years to pick someone, and he picked me? "How do you talk without moving your mouth?" Celesse asked. "Oh. I can't speak properly, so I use this." I pulled out the trumpet mouthpiece. "It's an artifact that basically allows me to speak."
"How do you use it?" I scratched my cheek. "At first, I had to imbue it with mana, but I bonded with it, so now it just happens automatically." She leaned in. "Does it say all of your thoughts out loud?" I chuckled mentally. "No, only what I want it to."
"So, you're the headmaster's pick?" I turned to see a student a little shorter than me. He had brown hair and blue eyes, very basic. "It seems to be that way. Why, are you going to be a cliché snobby kid and fight me for the title?" He raised an eyebrow. "What does that word even mean?"
I looked around, and everyone else didn't know what it meant, including the teacher. "It means a phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought." He still seemed confused, so I just looked away.
"How do you feel being the headmaster's pick?" I rubbed my chin. "I guess I feel a little confused." Celesse nodded. "I can believe that. Can you do anything other than the cloud spell?" I shook my head. I shouldn't give too much away, or else I might get too much attention.
For the rest of the class, I spoke with Celesse and whoever came to talk. I heard the bell ring, and everyone grabbed their bags. "Have a good day! I'll see you kids tomorrow!" I grabbed my bag and was about to leave, but Ms. Oriol called out to me. "Balere, can I see you for a second?"
I went up to her desk, and she looked up at me. "Next time, please use the incantation," She told me. "For the other students' sake?" She nodded. "I understand your worry, but I've never used the incantation before, so I don't see the need." She sighed and stood up. "If you are going to be like that, then just stray away from using magic in class, alright?" I nodded and left the classroom.
At the gates, I saw my parents waiting for me with my siblings. "How was it? Make any friends?" I'd say one acquaintance, but nothing too serious. "I guess one." Mother sighed in relief. "And here I thought you would have shown off to those students and scared them off!" I laughed at her and we began walking.
"Is school fun?" Lucille asked. "So far, it seems fine. My class is learning magic theory and learning spells, so nothing too important." My brother sighed. "If you're in a class for it, it has to be important." He seems a little too mature for his age. I have an idea to mess with him.
We got back to the house and grabbed my training sword. "Aren't you tired from school?" My father asked. "Well, kinda. I have to keep training, though." I went into the backyard and fixed my earth dummy again.
"Before you start, what type of sword do you prefer?" I saw my Father standing there. "Well, that's not easy. Two-handed swords seem like a nuisance, and I'm not strong enough to handle a longsword... I guess a shortsword." He nodded and went back inside.
After training, I went to the table and sat down. I got a plate of whatever we were eating and sat next to my precious little brother. I looked at him and signed, 'I know.'
I didn't care to see what his reaction was, and began eating. "Let's just hope the rest of the school year goes smoothly."