Finding Her Way
Jul 10, 2018 16:13:31 GMT -6
Post by Snick on Jul 10, 2018 16:13:31 GMT -6
Palms sweaty, hands shaking, Katrien pulled the door of the dormitories open. The building was huge! How would she ever find her room? Luckily, she'd already met her roommate. Adjusting her sky blue messenger bag, she walked down the hallway, clutching a bit of paper in her left hand. A sign alternated between two hand-written messages - 'Welcome back to Salem Institute, Samantha!' and 'Please proceed to the fourth floor." In front of her, a toe-headed girl murmured something, tossed her hair back, then disappeared into a stairwell.
A similar message welcomed Kit to the school, and instructed her to head up to the third floor. Instead, she decided to take a look around the first floor. It smelled like a dentist's office. Very clean with a hint of mouthwash.
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Siobhan saw the newbie wandering around and decided to help her. "Hello, are you lost?" She extended her hand. "My name is Siobhan O'Brien. I saw you at the assembly. Welcome to Salem Institute." She grinned. "What's your name? Do you need help finding your room?"
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Katrien shook the girl's hand, looking perplexed. "Katrien Vogel, or Kit, for short. Nice to meet you, uh, Sheevon," she responded. "I'm not lost, really. Just taking a look around. My room is 216. Second floor... I imagine the eighth room on one side or the other. Unless magical dudes don't arrange stuff numerically. What's this room?"
She motioned to a very large room that a few students had already gotten comfortable in. At one table, two wizards were playing a game of cards. It looked like Magic. How ironic that would be if it was. From the little bit she learned over the summer, nothing in that trading card game was anything like real magic. Of course, she'd only played it a handful of times at her friend Jason's house. That might not have been a fair assessment. However, she'd also played Doom at his house and was fairly certain Mars' moon, Phobos, wasn't inhabited by demons from Hell, so who knows?
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Siobhan smiled, at least the girl could say her name right if she didn't see it spelled. "Kit, I like that name. This is the dorm commons area. There are places to socialize, study, relax, practice music, or watch movies if you like. Most of us hang out here when we aren't in class or our rooms. Of course, there are small commons areas on each floor. But this is the best one." She looked at the small girl again. The newbies just got smaller and smaller every year, she thought, not thinking about how much bigger she had grown in the last four years.
"I didn't pledge a legacy last year, but I think I will this year, if I can get in. They get their own rooms and everything, if they want. My brother is in the same grade as me. But he doesn't want to pledge with me. I want him to, though. You make really good connections for later on, in business and things. So what about you, Kit, are you going to pledge a legacy house once you're old enough?"
Siobhan wondered if she was talking too much, so decided to stop to give Kit a chance to answer.
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"I like your name, too. I've never heard it before. It sounds Celtic or Gaelic or something, is it? I had a friend named Saoirse in third grade, but then she moved to Georgia. That happens a lot in Lacey. Military families," she prattled on, smiling right back. "I don't know anything about the legacies. I might try to join one, if I find one I like. Which one are you going to pledge? I think I might like to have my own room. I shared a room with my sister back in Lacey. I was a little bothered that I had to share a room here, too. But I checked the room assignments and my roommate is..."
Katrien checked the scrap of paper in her hand. "Alexandra Lively. I've met her. At least, I think so," she shrugged one shoulder. "I met Lex Lively. I assume that's a nickname."
Kit wasn't sure what it was about this girl, but she wanted to spill every thought that came to mind. Maybe even tell Siobhan her whole life story. That was probably a bit much, though, so she tried to bite her tongue.
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"My name is Irish. So is Saoirse--it means freedom. My family is very Irish. Mostly magical as well, although some of my brothers and sisters are squibs. Grandfather thinks we are cursed. Maybe we are." Siobhan shrugged.
"I really like Beta Tau Phi--it's for old magical families who left the stupid blood purity bias behind and mostly came to America because they thought the bias was stupid. The O'Briens are an old magical family, and we do own a famous pub in Boston, so I think I fit in with them. I like Hope and Glory and the Alger Society as well, so if i can't get into BTP, I will try for one of them. Pledge week is coming up soon." She smiled. "There are a lot of legacy houses. You just kind of let them know you are interested and hope they choose you to pledge. If they do, you go through some silly magical things, depending on the house, and then they let you know if you made it. I can walk you around and show you all the Legacy houses and tell you about each one if you want. Just let me know when."
"Anyway, my name is just the Irish version of Joanne. Not as cool as Saoirse. I like name meanings. When I name my children, I'll look at the meanings before I choose the name and go by meaning first." She suddenly smirked, "And maybe give them names that people can spell when they hear it, or pronounce when they see it. What does your name mean?"
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"Oh, that's cool," Kit knew nothing about blood purity bias and blood traitors. "I don't know if anyone else in my family is magic. Well, my parents and sister aren't. What are squibs?"
Katrien furrowed her brow in thought for a moment. "I don't know what Katrien means," she answered. "But my first name is Myna, and that's a kind of bird. It's a kind of theme in our family. My mom is Wren and my dad is Wolfram, which means wolf raven. My sister's middle name is Starling. She used to go by that name, until she saw Silence of the Lambs.'
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"I wasn't allowed to see that movie. Although we don't see movies unless they're on TV and it isn't a school night and we aren't needed to help in the pub. We don't help around the drinks. Just with washing up and things like that. But Mother didn't like me even doing that much. She'd rather I stay home and help her there, and learn how to be a good Irish Catholic American witch." She laughed. "Meaning I cook, sew, cast love spells, sing, clog, and play the Celtic fiddle. All part of how to catch a good Irish Catholic America Wizard." She laughed again. "What's your culture? Other than birds? Are your family ornithologists? Did you grow up at an aviary? That would be amazing!"
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"My parents are pretty lenient. Most of my friends weren't allowed to watch it, either," she smiled. "Lots of cussing and adult stuff. It's one of my favorite movies, though. I like Jodie Foster a lot."
Katrien chuckled, shaking her head. "My dad was in the army, but he's not anymore. He got hurt really bad, so they discharged him. Now he stays home and takes care of me and Lilo when we aren't in school," She smiled wanly. "My mom's an obstetrician and gynecologist. Is your bar for just witches and wizards? You're Catholic? I don't have a religion. My dad was Baptist, but he lost his faith along with his leg. My mom was raised by tree-huggers, so she is all about mother nature and goddesses and whatever."
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With an old army style duffel bag slung over her shoulder, Cam wandered through the first floor of the dorms. It was so odd to be so far away from home, not having to walk back to her grandparent's house after class. Actually living at the school seemed so medieval to her. Why would anyone want to live AT a school?
A slip of paper in her hand stated that her room was on the fourth floor. She looked down at the sheet again, printed so neatly as though it were done on an old school typewriter instead of one of those fancy computers that seemed to be popping up in schools everywhere. Now if she could just find a freakin' elevator, she could find her bed and stow her stuff and get to the fun part...figuring out how to get the hell out of here.
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"We're Catholic, but we practice the old Celtic ways as well." Siobhan noticed the new girl come in, but she seemed far from friendly. She raised her hand to wave to the girl, barely waggling her fingers at the negativity that oozed from the girl.
She leaned over to Kit and spoke softly, so as not to be overheard. "She doesn't seem too friendly. Should we go over and try to make friends and see if we can get her to warm up . . . she might just be afraid, being new and all . . . or should we just ignore her and let her be grumpy?"
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Kit scowled. "Look at her hair," she whispered, eying the angry-looking teen. "Doesn't she know that's against the rules?"
Since she looked a bit older than Katrien and was wearing pants, she assumed the girl was not a newcomer. "It's cool, though," she added as an afterthought. "Sure, let's go see if maybe she just needs to be exposed to a contagious smile or two."
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Cam looked up from the paper in her hand and took a peek into the common area with mild interest. Maybe she could occupy herself in there while she planned her escape from her new 'prison'. So deeply was she in thought that her metamorphmagus traits had calmed considerably. Her hair was no longer a brilliant red as it had been during the welcome assembly. Now it had dimmed and separated into streaks of pumpkin orange and tranquil sea green between bits of her natural dirty blonde.
She sighed in frustration, looking at the paper once more, forging down the hallway. Where the hell was the damn elevator? Then a thought occurred to her. What if there wasn't an elevator? What if she had to trudge her way up four flights of stairs every day after long, boring classes just to fall into bed? That's it! They were going to try to completely exhaust her to keep her from causing trouble. Well that wouldn't work, not with Cameron Finley!
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Kit waved to the multi-color-haired girl, smiling brightly. She looked lost. Katrien wouldn't be able to help with that, she didn't know her way around, either. With a look of uncertainty, her eyes shifted to Siobhan.
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"Hey, new girl, cool hair!" Siobhan said, "course, they'll never let you get away with it. Strict dress codes here. My name's Siobhan, and this is Kit. And your name is?" asked Siobhan, walking over with Kit.
A similar message welcomed Kit to the school, and instructed her to head up to the third floor. Instead, she decided to take a look around the first floor. It smelled like a dentist's office. Very clean with a hint of mouthwash.
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Siobhan saw the newbie wandering around and decided to help her. "Hello, are you lost?" She extended her hand. "My name is Siobhan O'Brien. I saw you at the assembly. Welcome to Salem Institute." She grinned. "What's your name? Do you need help finding your room?"
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Katrien shook the girl's hand, looking perplexed. "Katrien Vogel, or Kit, for short. Nice to meet you, uh, Sheevon," she responded. "I'm not lost, really. Just taking a look around. My room is 216. Second floor... I imagine the eighth room on one side or the other. Unless magical dudes don't arrange stuff numerically. What's this room?"
She motioned to a very large room that a few students had already gotten comfortable in. At one table, two wizards were playing a game of cards. It looked like Magic. How ironic that would be if it was. From the little bit she learned over the summer, nothing in that trading card game was anything like real magic. Of course, she'd only played it a handful of times at her friend Jason's house. That might not have been a fair assessment. However, she'd also played Doom at his house and was fairly certain Mars' moon, Phobos, wasn't inhabited by demons from Hell, so who knows?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Siobhan smiled, at least the girl could say her name right if she didn't see it spelled. "Kit, I like that name. This is the dorm commons area. There are places to socialize, study, relax, practice music, or watch movies if you like. Most of us hang out here when we aren't in class or our rooms. Of course, there are small commons areas on each floor. But this is the best one." She looked at the small girl again. The newbies just got smaller and smaller every year, she thought, not thinking about how much bigger she had grown in the last four years.
"I didn't pledge a legacy last year, but I think I will this year, if I can get in. They get their own rooms and everything, if they want. My brother is in the same grade as me. But he doesn't want to pledge with me. I want him to, though. You make really good connections for later on, in business and things. So what about you, Kit, are you going to pledge a legacy house once you're old enough?"
Siobhan wondered if she was talking too much, so decided to stop to give Kit a chance to answer.
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"I like your name, too. I've never heard it before. It sounds Celtic or Gaelic or something, is it? I had a friend named Saoirse in third grade, but then she moved to Georgia. That happens a lot in Lacey. Military families," she prattled on, smiling right back. "I don't know anything about the legacies. I might try to join one, if I find one I like. Which one are you going to pledge? I think I might like to have my own room. I shared a room with my sister back in Lacey. I was a little bothered that I had to share a room here, too. But I checked the room assignments and my roommate is..."
Katrien checked the scrap of paper in her hand. "Alexandra Lively. I've met her. At least, I think so," she shrugged one shoulder. "I met Lex Lively. I assume that's a nickname."
Kit wasn't sure what it was about this girl, but she wanted to spill every thought that came to mind. Maybe even tell Siobhan her whole life story. That was probably a bit much, though, so she tried to bite her tongue.
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"My name is Irish. So is Saoirse--it means freedom. My family is very Irish. Mostly magical as well, although some of my brothers and sisters are squibs. Grandfather thinks we are cursed. Maybe we are." Siobhan shrugged.
"I really like Beta Tau Phi--it's for old magical families who left the stupid blood purity bias behind and mostly came to America because they thought the bias was stupid. The O'Briens are an old magical family, and we do own a famous pub in Boston, so I think I fit in with them. I like Hope and Glory and the Alger Society as well, so if i can't get into BTP, I will try for one of them. Pledge week is coming up soon." She smiled. "There are a lot of legacy houses. You just kind of let them know you are interested and hope they choose you to pledge. If they do, you go through some silly magical things, depending on the house, and then they let you know if you made it. I can walk you around and show you all the Legacy houses and tell you about each one if you want. Just let me know when."
"Anyway, my name is just the Irish version of Joanne. Not as cool as Saoirse. I like name meanings. When I name my children, I'll look at the meanings before I choose the name and go by meaning first." She suddenly smirked, "And maybe give them names that people can spell when they hear it, or pronounce when they see it. What does your name mean?"
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"Oh, that's cool," Kit knew nothing about blood purity bias and blood traitors. "I don't know if anyone else in my family is magic. Well, my parents and sister aren't. What are squibs?"
Katrien furrowed her brow in thought for a moment. "I don't know what Katrien means," she answered. "But my first name is Myna, and that's a kind of bird. It's a kind of theme in our family. My mom is Wren and my dad is Wolfram, which means wolf raven. My sister's middle name is Starling. She used to go by that name, until she saw Silence of the Lambs.'
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I wasn't allowed to see that movie. Although we don't see movies unless they're on TV and it isn't a school night and we aren't needed to help in the pub. We don't help around the drinks. Just with washing up and things like that. But Mother didn't like me even doing that much. She'd rather I stay home and help her there, and learn how to be a good Irish Catholic American witch." She laughed. "Meaning I cook, sew, cast love spells, sing, clog, and play the Celtic fiddle. All part of how to catch a good Irish Catholic America Wizard." She laughed again. "What's your culture? Other than birds? Are your family ornithologists? Did you grow up at an aviary? That would be amazing!"
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"My parents are pretty lenient. Most of my friends weren't allowed to watch it, either," she smiled. "Lots of cussing and adult stuff. It's one of my favorite movies, though. I like Jodie Foster a lot."
Katrien chuckled, shaking her head. "My dad was in the army, but he's not anymore. He got hurt really bad, so they discharged him. Now he stays home and takes care of me and Lilo when we aren't in school," She smiled wanly. "My mom's an obstetrician and gynecologist. Is your bar for just witches and wizards? You're Catholic? I don't have a religion. My dad was Baptist, but he lost his faith along with his leg. My mom was raised by tree-huggers, so she is all about mother nature and goddesses and whatever."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With an old army style duffel bag slung over her shoulder, Cam wandered through the first floor of the dorms. It was so odd to be so far away from home, not having to walk back to her grandparent's house after class. Actually living at the school seemed so medieval to her. Why would anyone want to live AT a school?
A slip of paper in her hand stated that her room was on the fourth floor. She looked down at the sheet again, printed so neatly as though it were done on an old school typewriter instead of one of those fancy computers that seemed to be popping up in schools everywhere. Now if she could just find a freakin' elevator, she could find her bed and stow her stuff and get to the fun part...figuring out how to get the hell out of here.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"We're Catholic, but we practice the old Celtic ways as well." Siobhan noticed the new girl come in, but she seemed far from friendly. She raised her hand to wave to the girl, barely waggling her fingers at the negativity that oozed from the girl.
She leaned over to Kit and spoke softly, so as not to be overheard. "She doesn't seem too friendly. Should we go over and try to make friends and see if we can get her to warm up . . . she might just be afraid, being new and all . . . or should we just ignore her and let her be grumpy?"
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Kit scowled. "Look at her hair," she whispered, eying the angry-looking teen. "Doesn't she know that's against the rules?"
Since she looked a bit older than Katrien and was wearing pants, she assumed the girl was not a newcomer. "It's cool, though," she added as an afterthought. "Sure, let's go see if maybe she just needs to be exposed to a contagious smile or two."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cam looked up from the paper in her hand and took a peek into the common area with mild interest. Maybe she could occupy herself in there while she planned her escape from her new 'prison'. So deeply was she in thought that her metamorphmagus traits had calmed considerably. Her hair was no longer a brilliant red as it had been during the welcome assembly. Now it had dimmed and separated into streaks of pumpkin orange and tranquil sea green between bits of her natural dirty blonde.
She sighed in frustration, looking at the paper once more, forging down the hallway. Where the hell was the damn elevator? Then a thought occurred to her. What if there wasn't an elevator? What if she had to trudge her way up four flights of stairs every day after long, boring classes just to fall into bed? That's it! They were going to try to completely exhaust her to keep her from causing trouble. Well that wouldn't work, not with Cameron Finley!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kit waved to the multi-color-haired girl, smiling brightly. She looked lost. Katrien wouldn't be able to help with that, she didn't know her way around, either. With a look of uncertainty, her eyes shifted to Siobhan.
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"Hey, new girl, cool hair!" Siobhan said, "course, they'll never let you get away with it. Strict dress codes here. My name's Siobhan, and this is Kit. And your name is?" asked Siobhan, walking over with Kit.
