The blinding blue light forced Layla's eyes to tear up. Slowly Layla blinked away her tears to see a breath-taking castle made of smooth-weathered light grey stones with leafy vines that clung onto it. There was a beautiful garden next to it, filled with an assortment of colorful flowers, herbs.
Surrounding them was a forest with trees taller and older than any other she'd seen around the village. A sparkling clear river led to a cliff. They were the waterfall to created rainbows from the reflections from the sun. Looking down at the cliff edge, she was confused to see windows of all different shapes and sizes randomly placed on the cliff edge.
"Welcome to Eidolkos, the school for the gifted," said James, letting go of Layla's shoulder and started to strut toward the castle like he owned the place.
Layla looked over at her mother, seeing her dark brown eyes glimmered with hope the morning sun hit her pale skin showing light freckles making her look a thousand times heather than she did during thirteen years in the house. The group followed James under the giant stone arches with the vines continuing to wrap around the stone. With flowery hedges in between each arch. Slowly they made their way to a huge wooden door and Luka knocked some pattern on it.
Suddenly the doors started to open. The sight took Layla's breath away. Inside was as beautiful as the outside. Hundreds of candles unneeded from the giant windows, each with the magnificent view of the school grounds. Two stairs lead up to a ledge with some doors and more and even more stairs like unsolvable labyrinth. Huge arches coming from pillars with carving details in the worn-out stone made the school look like an ancient castle only fit for royalty.
As they continued to walk up the giant stairs. Layla looked around with wonder taking in each and every details.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Once James finished the tour and explaining how the schoolwork. He also told her mother about Luka's family and how they would help her get back on her feet. He finally convinced her mother enough to sign the forms. They ended up in front of a circular stairway to the headmaster's office.
"Mrs. Doves you'll be going with me to your new home and don't worry, your daughter is safe here," said Lorenzo as they grabbed Layla's mother, and the flash of blue light appeared again.
"Welp lets hurry Lorenzo, probably going to beat us up there," Luka spoke up as the group started to walk up the stairs.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Finally, once they got up the stairs out of breath, they reached a small circular room where the only source of light was from a candle chandelier in the middle of the room, leaving the edge of the room in shadows and a single door with a beautiful gold knocker with flower engravings.
"Took you long enough," said Lorenzo in a bored voice, causing Layla to jump. Just in the corner of her eye saw James and Luka slightly flinched as well. As Lorenzo pushed off the wall into the light, their once black clothes were replaced by an old baggy hoodies and sweatpants.
"How did you have enough time to-," Layla started but was quickly interrupted with Lorenzo.
"You'll get answers later," they said as they pushed open the door to see a room only slightly bigger circular the room with a giant fireplace. The room also had a huge window, and the roof looked like a beautiful view of a clear starry night sky with a bright full moon.
In the middle of the room was a woman with jet black hair with slivery white mixed into it sitting behind a wooden table with a similar flower caving to the door knocker. She wore a black hood with gold edges that shined in the firelight.
The group walked in with Lorenzo placing the forms on the table.
"Welcome," said the woman with a bright white smile. "Well done you three. "If you like, you can be dismissed to pick up the next student," she nodded to the three.
"Thank you, headmaster," Luka and Lorenzo said in unison before leaving.
"Thank you, mother," James said with a smile before turning and walking away as well leaving Layla wondering. As the door closed.
"Your James's mother?" Layla blurted out in curiosity.
"Yes, I'm Mrs. Luna. If you'd to take a seat," she said leaving Layla's questions doubling by the second. As the principal looked down at a sheet of paper she started to read
"You've been invited to this school, Eidolkos the school for the gifted as said already by the group who picked you up. You'll be starting the two days after tomorrow, lucky for you, you already know two of the students in your grade, Mister Wood and Lorenzo. You'll be sleeping in the female dorms door seven which will be on level one and your roommate will be Artemis she's also new, the same age as well. You'll have a two week try out of deciding if you two can share a dorm, if however, you cannot come to me, and we can arrange a dorm change. But you need to sign here," she pointed at the bottom of the paper and handed Layla a pen. As Layla signed the note the ink glowed before the paper when flying onto a pile of other papers.
"More will be explained tomorrow for now get used to the place and get some rest you have a big day tomorrow,"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Layla was exhausted and sweaty from the walk until she finally found her way to her dorm. As her hand clenched and knocked on the door it instantly flew open to see darkroom with only a single candle to light it up room just enough to see an open door that seemed to lead to a clean white bathroom and next to the door was two beds lifted in the air with latter leading up and under a desk with all the books and pens anyone would need for a lifetime. With bookshelves from the floor to the roof filled with all different colored books.
As Layla slowly walked in, she saw that one of the beds was occupied with an unusually pretty girl with long orange hair that slightly fell on her freckled face. The freckles light and mostly on her nose that faded down her to her cheeks.
Layla realized how creepy it was staring at the sleeping girl she turned away towards the other bed and climbed up the latter into the bed. As soon as her head hit the pillow she was knocked out to sleep.
As the light shone through the window straight into Layla's eyes. Blinking away the sleepiness she started to open her eyes to see a two familiar figures.
"Moring sleeping beauty," a voice said waking Layla up
"Mum?" She said still groggy
"Guess again," the same voice said with a playful tone
"James?!" Layla replied looking at him in a simple small gold chain, white hoodie and sweatpants next to him was Lorenzo in their black turtleneck, jeans and a matching sliver chain.
"Who else?" James said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"How did you even get in?" she asked think on how it could not be safe if anyone could get into her dorms
"When in while you roommate was leaving" James said "Now hurry up the sorting is goanna start soon,"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As Layla and Lorenzo walked in the lunch hall James running ahead with tables all with varied sizes, shape and color theme red, orange, green, and purple. The hall was filled with children of all different ages, looks and all with an assorted color uniform each match the table they sit at talking loudly to each ours. In the middle was a like separated two different lines.
As the two made their way to the end of the line slowly walking up to a serious faced man with pitch black hair, chestnut brown eye, dark skin cover with gruesome looking scars and a muscular build. As Lorenzo walked up to the to the man his face softens to a huge kind smile showing his bright white teeth and gave Lorenzo a fatherly hug.
"Here you go," he said bring a box with an assortment of jewelry in front of Lorenzo as what look to be a ring flew into their hand admiring
placing a necklace with a gem pendant that looked like glass around their neck before continuing "You go to the line on the right," as he let go of the hug before kissing Lorenzo's forehead
"Thanks Lev," Lorenzo said as they turn to leave, and the man look at Layla with his stern face again. "She's going to the left line," Lorenzo said turning to Layla. Even though they were wearing a mask Layla could tell they were smiling.
"Okay," Layla replied before turning and as soon as she was about to walk to the longer of the two lines. The man handed he the same silver chained necklace with the clear crystal. After thanking the man, she walked to the end of the line before slowly a familiar black hair woman walked up on the stage her sliver hairs sparking in the sunlight her hand cupping so strange orange stone speaking into it her voice boomed through the hall.
"Hello and welcome to the sorting. as some of you know some student has made a program to collect and invite gifted people outside of the forest so for the few that are welcome to your new life. Now for the students that have volunteered to go in the line on your right, you'll be showing everyone their powers and how the gem will work for those who don't know what is going to happen in this new place. So please come to the stage one by one" she said holding up the same necklace everyone now has around their necks. "Now this is the sorting gem, and this will change color to the house you'll be in after your blood touches the stone and for those who don't know or can't control your powers don't worry this is why the schools here," She finished before she started to wave over the kid in the line. The two whispered before principal Lilly said as what Layla assumed to be teachers started to give everyone a needle.
"First up Eli Drake Longwel," her voice boomed thought the hall before a short blondie brown haired boy walked up slightly shaking with a small black winged reptile with neon blue patterns round it body.
As the boy got to the front in the middle of the stage, he stood there getting the small needle, pricking his finger before touching the crystal. His blood seemed to soak into the crystal his necklace suddenly glowed orange like the light from a campfire before going back to its normal state but with the necklace's gem stained the orange color. After he admired his gem, his eyes shut, and he clenched his hands into fists.
After a second water came in the room floating around in the air toward him before going into a ball above him as he opened his eyes his sage green eyes lit up with joy and wide grin covered his face before it all came crashing down and drenched his clothes with water.
Red face and embarrassed he picked up his winged reptile and walked off the stage. One after the other more and more students when up and Layla slowly drowned in her own thoughts and questions, only snapping out of her trance every time a familiar name was called.
Paying full attention to the few familiar faces like Lorenzo who just teleported on the middle of the stage. Prick their finger and touch the necklace glowing purple before Lorenzo teleporting in a blue light again.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After Lorenzo Layla started to get restless as wait until there was Luka with him contagious smile striding on stage with confidents. As he when in the middle of the stage also pricking his finger and touching the gem he stated
"I'll be trying to turn bear,"
And like all the others before him he also closed his eye focus drawn on his face, he slowly started to morph dark fur sprouting from his skin and his nails turning into claws going on all four. But instead of the huge scary bear he was aiming for he ended up a cute fluffy raccoon with a necklace the top of the gem a blood red slowing bleeding down before the raccoon turn back into a human with a ruby red gem hung around his neck running down toward James and Lorenzo in the corner with a pen and an old leather book. After Luka, a name was called out
"Artemis Fallstar," Was called up as a familiar girl walked up somehow. Her long orange hair neatly tied back in a braid. She also pricked her finger and touched the necklace around her neck, now red. As she faced the front unlike everyone else, she didn't close her eyes. Instead, her stunning ocean eyes that stood out from her long orange eyelashes focused on someone in the corner of the room. As everyone spun their head around looking around in the back corner everyone eyes focus on two people.
Luka and Lorenzo. As the book in Lorenzo's hands started to glow orange the book in the hand ripped out of their hand flowing to show everyone a half finished drawing of James. She turned to look at James with a stupid grin as everyone in range to see the drawing clear enough turn to see James matching the sketch.
Layla's head turned back to see Lorenzo red, seeming really interested on the floor.
"Oh, I'm so sorry the plan was lifting the book closed," Artemis said apologetically from the front getting everyone quiet facing her. As she let the book go it falling straight down into Lorenzo's hand as they stared daggers at the girl as she walked off stage.
As Layla went back to her dream like state as slowly one after the other the line got shorter and shorter until no one was left.
"Well, everyone please take a seat at you can see your gem color will match with a table that's where you'll sit during speeches but at normal mealtimes you can sit wherever you'd like and for the rest of you how haven't got you gem color you may do that now," said Professor Luna.
Everyone started to walk, going into groups looking for seats and their friends. As the chatter grew more people started to talk, taking a seat with friends. Layla final found the group sitting at a table in the corner.
"Hey guys," Layla shouted over all the other chatter
"Oh, hey Layla," yelled the group as they waved her over shuffling over to give her room. As she sat next to Luka, James came across her. Teasing a red face, Lorenzo.
"Shut it," Lorenzo stuttered.
"Nah," James replied with a mischievous smile.
Just as Lorenzo was about to argue back
Layla asked, "Can you put the necklace on please," As she gave Luka the necklace, turning her back towards Luka. Carefully Luka brushed away Layla's hair to the side of her shoulder and placed the chain around her neck clipping it at the back.
"Thank you," Layla said with smile. Luka nodded in response before looking at James with a mischievous smile both turning to Lorenzo and as if in queue before the chaos was about to start, food was brought out from and placed on some tiles that slowly rotated around the table. The smell filled the room with endless amounts of food. As hundreds of teens grabbing food stuffing their faces.
"So, James what is your gift exactly," Layla asks.
"Death, in short I can talk and see the dead and for a short period of time bring them to a somewhat solid state so others to see them too," James replied.
"So, what do you think my gift will be?" Layla asked hoping that out of all gifts it's not that one.
"don't know, it might be similar to your families but no one in your family has had contact with magic from what your file said," James answered "anyways" he continued "you going to see what group you're in,"
"Oh yeah" said Layla, she'd had completely for gotten about the magical necklace. Grabbing the needle, she pricked her finger touching the crystal. It was cold under her fingers slowly it turned purple.
"Really I'm the only one in swords" Luka said with a pouty face
"Seems like it mates," James replied "So tomorrow's the last day before school starts. So how about we go exploring?"
"Hell yeah!" Luka exclaimed
"Maybe we should take Eli instead of James," Lorenzo said staring at James like he was going to murder him by stabbing the food on their plate while James and Luka laughed.
"What am I too distracting for you?" James replied with a wink.
Often considered the first spring flower, the daffodil represents new beginnings and hope for the future.