Mass release: 15/25
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"I can assure you that much. If you're still alive and this place is still up, it was not my doing, professor Bernardaki!" I mean, yeah, it was me, but why is she coming so rudely? These bastards should be a bit more like Bhat. "Now, you can go after the real culprit, go celebrate, leave me alone, if you don't want me to take those bracelets off and show you what I can really do to this damn place and everyone in it!"
Bhat tried to hold it, but he couldn't help barking a laugh. "Ain't she cute? She's like a savage little cat."
"Snake," she countered. "I'm a lethal snake, not a little cat. Wrong mixed kid, Bhat. Don't mistake me for your singing squirrel friend."
He giggle again, "Ay, ay. Little snake."
"Mixed?" The woman gasped behind the door. "You're mixed?"
Oops. "Am I now?" She chuckled anxiously.
"You just said you were mixed."
Well, I am. In more than one way.
"What do you mean by that? Why didn't you say anything down there? What other witch kin are you part? Why did you act like you were a pure green?" Celine gasped in dismay.
"Why would I? I like green and snakes," she purred.
"Say red," Bhat whispered to her, "like Qin."
Now, that's genius. "But I'm part red," she chanted.
"You are what?" Celine yelled in dismay.
"I'm the daughter of a red witchling. But I like the color green better than red, and I also prefer snakes over foxes," and there's no way in hell, I'mma go to my dad's domain. No. Way. In. Hell. "Now, now, leave!"
"Open this door, we need to talk about this and,"
"Go, Bell," Bhat told her. "Before she take the bracelet off."
"I'll tell Lord Rhys about this," she hissed. "Be careful, Bhat," then she left and the hoard of people left with her, whoever they were.
They waited a minute, then another, and one more, before speaking again. Bhat broke the silence with a crooked grin, "Oh, this will give you points with Qin for sure, and it'll help him later on when he realizes your value, to get them to allow you to be his pupil. Master play."
She took of the eyeglasses and winked at him, "Look at us, we make a good team, don't we? The giant and the dwarf witchlings," she joked.
"White and silver always went well with each other," he winked and she blushed. "Oh, Hades, I can't wait until you get a perfect grade in that cranky arsehole's class. I was also his student, it was hell, damn how it was. He was born to be a professor in here, not even Rhys got a good grade in his class. Gods, I doubt anyone ever did. He only wants perfect. There was never an A in his class, not an A- and even less an A+, or an S. S is the perfect grade in Alexandrini, it has no – or +, it's just a perfect S."
"Let me guess," she mocked, "singing squirrel got it?"
He burst out laughing, "Oh, boy, this will be amusing. Yes, he is the best and the strongest student here in centuries, Em. The only grades he never got a perfect S in here were Qin's, in which he always gets a B+, the highest grade that cranky jerk gives, and Yumi Kiyozawa's, the white witch who teaches Emotional Control, the second hardest professor to deal with in here, in which he always gets A-, also the highest grade she gives, since she makes it impossible for the students to control themselves perfectly, and she also only gives higher grades if she likes you. She doesn't like anybody but Qin. In fact, she has a quite public fat crush on him. He runs from her."
"So, she's a bitch to match his bitchness?"
"You could say that, yeah," he chuckled.
I am sooooooo gonna fail that class. "I can already tell I'll have a serious problem with her. I'll not even be hopeful on getting anything higher than an F-. How old is she? How do I know who she is?"
"She's 115 years old, but looking in her 30s, hot pink curly hair around her hips, she has amber monolid feline eyes, pale skin with many moles, around 1.95m tall, she's as slander as a gazelle, really beautiful, with a cinnamon scent, she has a low-pitched voice, bonded to a caramel big-ass Maine Coon cat called Sakura, and a cherry blossom branch tattooed around her collarbones with some flowers going up her neck. She's, well, the most gorgeous witch professor in here, it's a common agreement. Very vain too."
Her mind brought back to the people she saw earlier, and she picked up the sight of a breathtakingly gorgeous pink-haired witch, the only one that was slightly closer to Qin. "Got it. I saw her near Qin Shi Huang. Oh, I loved his Chinese name, it's inspired in the best Chinese Emperor, right?"
"Yes," he nodded. "And he has the arrogance of one," he scoffed and stood up. "Okay, now, lil Em, shall we unpack your stuff?"
Taking a deep breath, she nodded, "That will be good, yes," as she jumped from the huge bed, she finally took in the place. "Fuck, this is huge, 30 kids could easily live here," her eyes widened in awe, while he stared in awe with the sight of the pair of glowing emeralds. "It's like a big-ass solo apartment, an open studio. The old men wasn't joking when he called this a privilege," she licked her lips and turned to Bhat. "How does… this work? I mean, the whole separation of students? They didn't tell me much, since we didn't have much time and I had to learn a bunch of spells and recipes."
"I'll tell you while we unpack," he handed her the backpack.
"Fair," she smiled softly and bend down to open the bag. "Funny fact, seems like I'm so powerful that even when I try to make a potion with a small amount of ingredients, it still ends up as 10 times the amount I intended to make. Not just that, but it ends up really strong." Sitting down, she began to take off the other two bags from inside it, the electronics Dior gave her in the last minute, her own collection of grimoires made of her familiars' shed leather skin.
"Wait," he told her and she paused, looking up at him as he sat in front of her, then he closed his eyes and set up a magical sound barrier. "Now, we're fully protected." He winked as he opened his eyes again. "And that is insane, I never heard anything like that. I only had one fatidic meeting with Aaron, so I don't know about the extent of the powers of a grown-ass changeling. I spent half a year in horrified shock just by meeting him, it was like having all I once knew falling down over me."
"I don't know either," she giggled. "I hate being called changeling in a offensive way, it stings, but as long as it's not offensively, I accept it. It's a name for what I am, not the best name, but still. All I know is that I'm absolutely lethal when I lose my shit, so I always had to bottle up my anger, which only made it worse. I didn't know how powerful I actually was, not when it came to using one of the seven main kinds of magic. But Dior made me realize how strong I was, when she told me I was 10 times more talented than her, in what for her was like breathing. Green magic. I did it perfect, more than perfect actually because her notes were majestic, all because I'm a the special kinda freak."
"You are like… the perfect copy and paste in person," he pointed. "Can you really learn anything just by looking at it once?"
A nod, "As far as I know? Yes. Except emotional control, which is what I need the most. Aside from that, I'm quite talented in being good at all I try doing. I used to play violin as a little kind, as well as guitar and the piano, because my mom loved it, so I learned it extraordinary quick by the time I was 5, it's one of my few memories, because it was something that pointed it out to them that I was… that dangerous kind of different, since my eyes left it ambiguous because Death, Star, and Soul witchlings all had jeweled eyes, and they already knew my blood was smoky and silver."
"You can play violin, piano, and guitar?" He asked surprised.
"Both types of guitar, the normal and the electric. I also learned the bamboo flute and the harp when I lived in China, the sanfona when I lived in Brazil, the drum when I lived in the USA, and the cello when I went to Australia. All places I ran away to, some of them at least. I lived in many places, since I always had to runaway when I lost my shit, because my dad got his people to haunt me down. He probably monitors my explosions by a radar or some shit, there's no other explanation, since he always comes when I lose control!"
"How did you manage to get out of the countries?"
"I would steal somebody's cruise ticket and clothes and fake that I wasn't a kid, but an undergrown woman, with a rare sickness that made me look like a child," humans, non-magical and witchlings, are easily fooled. "Then I would leave before they came, because they always came."
"So, you've always been naughty," he chuckled. "I can't believe you lived in Brazil. My mom was Brazilian, of Dos Santos surname, it's my middle surname, and I lived there before for three years. But it was too hot. I'm someone who prefers cold weather and low temperatures, and damn that place was hot as hell. Rich in culture, an amazing culture, sometimes I like to watch stuff dubbed in Brazilian Portuguese because it's too damn funny, their comedy is fire. As fire as their weather is hot."
"I don't remember much, I lived there when I was still a kid, but I do remember they weren't racists towards me for having brown skin, since lots of people there, the majority is mixed. There are all kinds of people. I loved the food I managed to steal here and there, their food was really good. I got the recipes of many in my mind still. But yeah, I traveled a lot for my survival, though I never got to actually enjoy the countries, too busy being wary and trying to hide from anyone who could spot me and be connected to my dad."
"Okay, let's not talk about that. Now, let me tell you how the stuff works around here, while I help you settle down, yeah?"
Relief washed over her, "I'll like that, yeah."
"So, first things first, there is a division of ranks between all of the students in here. Aside from the whole Phoenixes against Dragons with the whites on the side avoiding getting in the middle of the two factions and unbalance shit out, there are the legacies and the non-legacies. Legacies are the kids from families that attended Alexandrini, non-legacies are not that plus kids from non-magical families."
I already know that. "Legacies have more privileges. Nepo-babies."
"Yes," he nodded. "Though they hate being called nepo-babies, as that offends them and leaves underlined that they wouldn't be as strong and where they are not, without their family's backing."
Emerald scoffed mockingly, "90% wouldn't."
"No," he chuckled softly, rolling his eyes. "The main division of the school is related to the year you're in, to the houses, and to the ranks. Each house has a master, not professor or student, but a member with a big connection to Alexandrini and to the UK Ministry. Your dad is the master of the Fox House and Dior is the master of the Snake House. Simon's dad, Andrey Sisini is the master of the Lion House. Vaughn Mantzari, Briana's dad, is the master of the Raven House. Then there's Jeremia Stevens as the master of the Whale House, Gracie Bennett as the master of the Scorpion House, and Violet Roberts as the master of the Bear House."
She clicked her tongue, "But they aren't here all the time, right?" That would be absolutely insufferable. Both for my dad and for Dior, or Vaughn and Andrey, as they are definitely with my dad, and against me.
"No, no. They come in events, competitions, and to check how their pupils are doing as the acting leaders of each House!"
Dad and Dior have adult pupils? "Who are they?"
"Benedikt Schickendantz's your dad pupil, Horst Emeric is Dior's, Merlin Alexander is Andrey's, Dominic Wallace is Vaughn's, Kimball Ashton is Jeremia's, Sienna Curtis is Gracie's, Megan Brown is Violet's. They were all previous students of Alexandrini, all as Valedictorians of their years, and pupils of the seven masters for 10 years, later appointed by them as acting leaders. Their influence is only over the students of each of the houses, not over the professors. All professors are above the masters and above the leaders, because they are the authority in Alexandrini, and they only answer to Rhys, and in a degree, to the vice-headmaster."
Professors matter more, noted. "And between the students?"
"Year 1: 9-10, year 2: 10-11, year 3: 11-12, year 4: 12-13, year 5: 13-14, year 6: 14-15, year 7: 15-16, year 8: 16-17, year 9: 17-18, year 10: 18-19, year 11: 19-20, year 12: 20-21, year 13: 21-22, year 14: 22-23 years old. The stars in the uniforms tell you their years. Aside from the first six years that are separated in two groups for classes, with years 1-2-3 and years 4-5-6, the others are all in duos for the classes. 7s with 8s, 9s with 10s, 11s with 12s, and 13s with 14s. Each group of classes have one monitor and the 2 co-vice-monitors, their 2nd and 3rd in command. All decided by the ranks of the your previous year. They commonly call them the monitor and the CVMs, for short. Kids these days love shortening stuff like that."
Dread ran down her spine, "Singing squirrel will be my monitor."
"Yep, he always is. It's decided the day after the finals in June 1st."
Oh no. Fuck. And I had to piss him off like that. I'm soooo screwed. "Don't tell me the CVMs are from the Circle," she cried exasperated.
Bhat laughed anxiously, "Kallias in 2nd and Florence in 3rd."
"I am screwed. I pissed both Simon and Florence," cursing herself, she put the jars of tea mixes at her side. "What do they do? Monitors?"
Sigh, "Monitor the students under them, out of class. Keep order. They can test you, like minor-masters, or captains of a team, you classes being the team. If they have a good reason, they can request a physical test with you, or in any subject, it happens a lot in Magical P.E. classes, they always take students that need guidance to the mat, or that they don't like." He tilted his head, "Saoirse is always on the mat with one of them, and she is constantly destroyed."
Emerald tensed up, "That's bullying!" Clenching her jaw, against all of her rationality, she found herself asking: "Can I offer myself to the mat, to protect someone else?" I still care for her, fuck. I'll help for now.
Bhat fully tensed up in shock, "You can't be thinking of,"
"Can I do that or not?" She asked annoyed, with herself.
Sigh, "Yes. But no one does that, Em."
Mockingly, she offer him her hand, "Nice to meet you, I'm no one."