Fraying at the edges on Cascade Hall

Headmaster Brockert

May 29, 2015 7:32 AM

Opening Feast by Headmaster Brockert

The summer had passed uneventfully for Mortimer, and quite frankly, he didn't mind that too much. Eventful did not necessarily mean good. It had been quiet and calm aside from a few annoying obligatory parties that were much more spread out than during the midterm break. Of course, as long as Mortimer maintained an air of standoffishness, people wouldn't bother him as much. It wasn't hard.

As the first years filed in, he stood and began to speak. "Welcome to Sonora for the new first years and welcome back for all older students. In just a minute,first years will be receiving a goblet distributed by Deputy Headmistress Skies, in order to sort you into your houses. You will turn the color representing your house which are blue for Aladren, yellow for Teppenpaw, red for Crotalus, and brown for Pecari. Afterwards, you may join your house table." Really, Mortimer rarely varied this part of his speech. How many different ways could one repeat the same basic instructions? And who cared if he did say it the same way every year? He was pretty sure that it wasn't exactly something all that memorable and it didn't really matter if the older students were even listening.

Besides, for all he knew, Nathan had told the first years this particular information at Orientation, but just in case he hadn't, it was something that needed to be said for they did need to know how sorting worked.

Next came the announcements for Prefects and Head Students. This was surely of more interest to the older students. "Would Adam Spencer and Francesca Wolseithcrafte please come to the front of the room to recieve your Head Student badges? In addition, I would like to call up Theodore Wolseithcrafte, Duncan Brockert, Isaac Douglas, and Liliana Bannister to recieve their prefect badges." Mortimer was pleased to see this year's recipients were a respectable group. He didn't see anything inherently not so about Miss Wolseithcrafte and Miss Bannister playing Quidditch and it was nice to see a Brockert among them.

"We have a new class available for our intermediate students. You may now take Divinations with Professor Gellar." Mortimer gestured towards the woman. "Also, please welcome back Professor Pye who will be taking the DADA position full time." Sonora had not had a DADA professor for awhile and it was nice to have someone in the position. Of course, it would happen when they lost their potions professor."This year's Midsummer Event will be a Concert. Details will be announced later this year. We will now sing the school song." With that, sheet music appeared in front of students.

Every day we strive
Learning to survive
Life’s hardships and to solve its mystery.
Learning to defend
Our honour and our friends,
Flying high to meet our destiny
We will stand and face those who want to harm us.
We won’t let the world transfigure, jinx or charm us
I won’t fight alone, as long as you are with me.
Sonora be my home, my tutor and my spirit
Vasita quoque floeat; Even the desert blooms.

When the song finished, the meal began and students were free to eat and speak as they liked.

Subthreads:

Happy to be back. by Aiden O'Neil with Tobi Reinhardt

Something old, something new by Barnaby Pye with Emilia-Louise Scott

Too little, too late? by Theodore Wolseithcrafte with Clark Dill

In which our heroine makes a face. (Tag: Atlas Primred) by Liliana Bannister with Atlas Primred

In need of a mental beta. by Emrys Lucan with Arnold Manger

Fitting in by Ingrid Wolseithcrafte with Fabian Brockert

This is a kissing free, mother free zone. by Ava Fletcher with Emery Kijewski-Jareau, Emery, Ava

Fraying at the edges by Araceli Arbon with Makenzie Newell

My last Opening Feast. by Virginia Bellrose

Mixed feelings. by Joella Curtis with Lionel Layne

Playing brother quite well, I think. by Chuck Fintoc with Joey Thompson

My title name was super lame, so this is what we got by Dustin Newell

Last to be sorted, last to care. by Arne Reinhardt with Alistair Johnson

Nice to meat you! by Sammy Meeks

PUBERTY MONSTER by Jake Manger with Ginger Pierce

Do I look delighted enough? by Adam Spencer

The beginning of the end. by Julian Umland

And So It Began by Seven Grayscale with Louis Valois

Down the rabbit hole. by Laila Kennedy

11 Headmaster Brockert Opening Feast 6 Headmaster Brockert 1 5

Aiden O'Neil

May 29, 2015 8:17 PM

Happy to be back. by Aiden O'Neil

Aiden had spent part of his summer with the O’Neil side of his family. His mother said that now that he was finally a teenager, his grandfather and grandmother expected him to make more of an appearance at family affairs along with his older cousins. Aiden found all of this to be quite boring, but his parents insisted that this was going to become part of his routine and he was just going to have to get used to it. He still couldn’t quite understand why anyone would want to go through all the hassle for gatherings and he didn’t understand the dull conversations that the adults always had. Why would he ever want to make any of that his normal routine?

Even though those types of gatherings bored him, for the most part, he just hung out with his cousins. They were older than him so he didn’t really have a lot in common, but they at least let him in on their conversations or games so that he wasn’t left completely by himself or with the adults. It was strange since his cousins were not so much older than him that he couldn’t relate, but he sort of couldn’t. They often times discussed either Quidditch or who their parents were looking to match them with. Aiden wasn’t interested in either of those things. His cousin told him that he better start looking or else he might end up with a real ‘witch’ (they did not use this nicer term when they discussed this). Even with their warnings, Aiden just wasn’t interested in that sort of stuff just yet and, thankfully, his parents weren’t forcing it onto him either.

Now he was back in school though and Aiden was excited to begin his Intermediate lessons. He was also excited to meet back up with his roommates and Savannah to see how their summers went. Life at Sonora was feeling more like the normal life than things back home. He loved his parents, but he could only handle them for so long. He missed the relaxed feeling his dorm gave him or the quiet chaos of lessons. But he also really missed the food. As if his round face and hefty stomach didn’t atest to that fact.

Sitting at the Teppenpaw table, Aiden smiled widely around, showing his unfortunate teeth as he did so. “Hello, how are you this evening?” He asked around.

6 Aiden O'Neil Happy to be back. 287 Aiden O'Neil 0 5

Tobi Reinhardt

May 29, 2015 9:33 PM

Relieved to be rid of a monster. by Tobi Reinhardt

Tobi’d had an interesting summer. For starters, he had been initiated into the craftsmen of his mother’s clan and begun his official apprenticeship under his father to begin to learn the actual magic techniques that went into the Northwest Reinhardts metal and wood charming crafts. Not only that, but two acceptance letters to Sonora had arrived in Turner’s Point, one for Arne as expected and one for one of the Muggle girls in Arne’s class. Tobi didn’t think he’d ever have found out about it except the night of his initiation he thought he spotted the quiet girl lingering on the edge of their property as Arne teased and encouraged her to join in the festivities. The next day when he’d approached Arne about revealing their secrets to a Muggle the response had been rather taciturn and abrupt and he’d nearly told his parents they needed to call someone to obliviate the Kennedy girl but Arne had shrugged him off with a do you rally think I’m that stupid, and gone on his way.

The incident had been burned into Tobi’s head and he hadn’t been able to forget about it sense. Growing up, he and Arne had always been so close. Even leading up until last year the two had been thick as thieves with Liac coming second to his beloved younger brother. He had gone over everything that had happened over the course of the past year and could come up with nothing that he had done new that might have upset Arne and made him distance himself from Tobi. The inheritance of the shop was something they’d always known about and something they’d been able to commiserate over—what with Arne always wanting to be exactly like Father and Tobi always never wanting anything to do with the business.

He watched as Arne sulked off in the direction of the gardens along with all the other first years and rolled his eyes, returning to his room. Because he and Liac were from different areas of the country, they always arrived at Sonora separately and Tobi’s closer distance to Arizona meant that he generally arrived there before Liac. However, after unpacking his belongings, and attempting to relax in his room, Tobi couldn’t get settled. He found himself pacing about, wondering if Arne was being polite or if he was giving the other students a hard time. Eventually Tobi got up to leave. While Mr. Xavier had instructed them to go either to their common rooms or Cascade Hall, he figured no one at a school could get upset with him for sitting quietly in the library until it was time for dinner.

If anything, he reasoned, he could say he wasn’t feeling well and as a result of a terrible headache had gotten lost on the way to the Hospital Wing, a place he never would have normally forgotten the way to. Besides, just because he never acted out didn’t mean that he wasn’t allowed to—Arne wasn’t the only Reinhardt boy allowed to have a defiant attitude. However, lying wasn’t something Tobi was particularly comfortable with, and the entire time he waited for dinner to start he was preoccupied with the idea that he might get caught. Luckily for him, he wasn’t and he walked down to Cascade Hall a little earlier so that he could find a good spot to sit at the Teppenpaw table and have a reason for being out of the Teppenpaw common room. Upon entrance to the hall, he spotted his roommate already sitting and squeezed through the crowd to snag a seat near him. He normally wouldn’t have chosen a seat next to another person without Liac, maybe adjacent to or five seats away from as Tobi found most other people at Sonora more human-like than he would have preferred, but Aiden was alright and rather nice, so in this case Tobi felt good sitting next to him.

“Alright,” he said, his quiet voice calm as usual. “I hope you’re doing alright too?”

10 Tobi Reinhardt Relieved to be rid of a monster. 289 Tobi Reinhardt 0 5

Barnaby Pye

May 29, 2015 10:08 PM

Something old, something new by Barnaby Pye

The long summer away from Sonora proved to be exactly what Barnaby needed to remember his position on the idea of friends. Tarquin had reminded him of the fact when he very nearly bragged that he thought he and one of his roommate were growing close, after which he had been very embarrassed that a ten year old had shown him up. But Barnaby’s new return to his old attitude had not been the only thing that changed about the adolescent boy. Over the summer, Alfie had dragged Barnaby to an optometrist and as a result he was returning to Sonora with a brand new pair of round spectacles which, when he wore them, gave Barnaby a rather owlish look, perhaps more so than usual.

Upon arrival to his room, Barnaby unpacked a set of books from his trunk and settled onto his bed, drawing the curtains closed around him so that his roommates when they inevitably entered—if they came to the room before dinner, would realize that he didn’t want to be disturbed. Here he passed a lovely couple of hours until he happened to glance at his watch and see that if he didn’t leave just then for the Opening Feast he would be very late indeed. Barnaby bolted out of bed, the curtains swinging behind him as he dashed out of the room in a very un-Barnaby like manner. He didn’t even bother to save his place in his book or put the curtains back into order because being late was, above all other things, something Barnaby abhorred.

As Barnaby neared Cascade Hall, he heard the chatter of students die down and he quickened his pace slightly before taking a calming breath and walking into the room. The Headmaster had just begun his talk and Barnaby took a seat at the edge of the Aladren table so that he wouldn’t be disturbed by too many students wanting to talk and wouldn’t disturb too many students while trying to find a place. He eyed the new first years as they walked in, wondering which of them would be helpful additions to his class and which would be large nuisances and hinder his learning ability if he were forced to partner with them before scolding himself of worrying his poor heart with any of those details. He turned his attention forward, sitting with a straight back and looking very attentive as the Headmaster proceeded to hand out the prefect badges and Head students badges and then lead them in the school song, only letting his mind linger on the faces of the new students for a few seconds longer than he really should have, his fingers reaching up to push his new spectacles back into place as he sang.

The glasses, however, were not the only new thing that came to Sonora with Barnaby. There was a cold air about the twelve year old, an air which had previously not been there, as though the mirror from the children’s fairy tale The Snow Queen had been shattered and pieces of shard had entered not only both his eyes and his heart like poor little Kay, but also his sense of reasoning.

“Pass the potatoes,” he said in an indifferent tone once they were allowed to eat.

10 Barnaby Pye Something old, something new 298 Barnaby Pye 0 5

Theodore Wolseithcrafte

May 30, 2015 12:07 AM

Too little, too late? by Theodore Wolseithcrafte

To Theodore, Francesca had always seemed grown up - she had that crucial two years on him that made her always older and smarter - but, as he entered the Cascade Hall for his fifth year, he was weighed down by the fact that she was becoming a grown up. It was nothing new for her to be moving ahead - they had always cycled in and out of synchronisation with each other - she would take a step, he would catch up, they would overlap, she would step ahead again. There had been small steps the last few years - she had left him in the intermediates, stepping up to advanced, she had come of age whilst he remained a child. But now, they were on the verge of something much bigger.

He had been unable to ignore it last year, when she had been nominated for head girl, and it had become more apparent over the summer, when she had invited Jay Carey to visit. Theodore had had other weeks where his sister’s company was still his own, but when Jay was there she disappeared off to spend time with him, just the two of them. As the Headmaster called them forward to receive their badges, he was undeniably delighted and proud of his own sister, but the badge pinned on her chest was an emblem to the fact that, at the end of this year, she would step out into the grown up world, and leave him here at Sonora.

He refrained from squeezing Francesca’s shoulder or any other display of solidarity and pride, as she already looked like she was only just winning the struggle not to burst into very public and embarrassing tears, and he knew she would not thank him for adding to that and, in all probability, tipping her over the edge, but his expression was a mixture of choked pride and wistfulness as he watched her collect her badge. He carefully arranged his features into an appropriate configuration for someone having honours bestowed on them by the school as they made their way onto the stage. However, on their way down, he found an elbow gently nudging his ribs, and turned to find Liliana making a face at him. He felt irritated with himself for having let his sentimentality show, and a little with Liliana for mocking him for it. He glared at her slightly before they parted ways for their own house tables.

Returning to his seat, he let the school song wash over him. Francesca leaving was sad (but happy, but good for her, but natural….) in its own right but also presented him with a particular problem. His sister had always been his closest friend in school. Theodore was not someone who sought the company of others often. He liked people, so long as they weren’t idiotic, well enough, but he also enjoyed peace and quiet. He found school and the constant forced interactions with others exhausting, generally preferring to spend his free time by himself. Francesca had been more than enough when he needed company, and as a result he had never made many friends. Once she was gone, who would he seek out, on the rare occasions he wanted someone to share things with?

It meant a new year’s resolution of being more sociable, he supposed. Of trying to build on what he already had, but he worried it was too late. They were fifth years. He was glad he had society to fall back on, which at least forced people to be polite and tolerant of him - even if he didn’t gain their friendship, perhaps that would be enough. With this in mind, he turned to the person next to him once they were free to interact.

“Good evening,” he smiled, “How was your summer?” The difference was perhaps imperceptible - after all, Theodore was never outright rude, so engaged in small talk whenever it was required of him, it just often left him feeling tired and irritable. It wasn’t his actions which had changed but the intentions behind them.

OOC - Liliana's actions were suggested by her author, and the way they were described was given her approval.

13 Theodore Wolseithcrafte Too little, too late? 270 Theodore Wolseithcrafte 0 5

Liliana Bannister

May 30, 2015 2:44 AM

In which our heroine makes a face. (Tag: Atlas Primred) by Liliana Bannister

It had been a pretty odd summer, what with Levi being so moody and her hanging out with Joseph and Isaac instead, but she had been grateful for it because in the end, though Levi was still her favorite cousin, she had always wanted to be a part of Joseph and Isaac’s little duo and now it finally felt like she was. The two had even come out to France for a week when she and Grandmère went and they had met Vetil. That was another reason that summer had been weird—the two had picked up right where they’d left off but it hadn’t been anything official and it hadn’t been anything with rules and Liliana found that she really liked that.

She had made no promises to anyone and she’d been free to see him or anyone else as she pleased. She knew he’d taken out a couple of girls in her absence, but the idea didn’t bother her like she thought it might have. Instead, she laughed with him about the ups and downs of the dates and lamented the fact that there weren’t any good boys at Sonora for her to do the same with, Vetil sharing the same sentiments. And then they’d gone swimming and he had let her and her cousins tag along behind him and his friends when they went to a series of public concerts in Rennes and she found herself having a great time.

So, when Liliana arrived for the Opening Feast she was not expecting to receive a prefect badge. In fact, she expected anyone but herself in their house to get it, perhaps more because the summer she had just come back from was something out of a chick romance novel, something slightly wild and crazy and not at all something prefect worthy. She didn’t feel as though she were particularly responsible and though she had managed to get on top of her Transfiguration grades she still stressed needlessly about the subject. And she had Quidditch, too, which did take up a lot her of time.

However, the next thought that entered her head was that she was prefect and that was amazing news to tell her cousins—perhaps that would get Levi out of the funk he’d been in the entire time she’d been with him. The next thing she thought of was that Joseph would be happy to know that she would now be in more contact with one Portia Dobson. The thought made her smile with wicked excitement and she gave Atlas an unnerving grin as she joined Isaac, Duncan, and Theodore walking towards the front.

As they walked up the stairs, she let her body slightly collide with Duncan’s in order to get his attention and then when she thought she had it, she whispered a heartfelt congratulations to her friend. “It’s going to be a pretty awesome year,” she said, trying to contain her excitement. “Maybe we can look for ghosts while we patrol the corridors at night?” This last bit was a reference to the first time she had met Duncan when he had been searching the school for ghosts in their third year. She smiled widely when her captain received his Head Boy badge alongside the Aladren team captain and she turned to look at her own counterpart of the Aladren team who had just received his prefect badge as well.

While in any other situation she might have made a face at Theodore if he looked her way much like she did during Quidditch matches, his rather gloomy disposition made her want to cheer him up. However, their limited contact really restricted the things she could do, especially because they were in front of the whole school. So, she waited until they were walking back towards their tables to nudge him slightly.

When he turned, she pulled a rather goofy face at him, letting her eyes cross and her tongue slightly poke out the side of her mouth which was twisted into a ridiculous grin. She held the face for a beat before letting it return to the normal pout though the corners of her mouth still held a hint of the grin as she was rather amused with the swiftness she’d pulled off the face. Theodore, on the other hand, seemed to take offense to her face and glared at her before going towards his table. She rolled her eyes at his back and hurried to where Atlas was waiting for her to have a nice dinner.

“Now,” she said, with excitement in her voice once they had been allowed to start dinner. “You have to tell me all about your summer, I want to hear everything!”

OOC: Theodore's glare as written by his author.

10 Liliana Bannister In which our heroine makes a face. (Tag: Atlas Primred) 274 Liliana Bannister 0 5

Emrys Lucan

May 30, 2015 2:51 AM

In need of a mental beta. by Emrys Lucan

That night as Emrys sat in Cascade Hall, waiting for Headmaster Brockert to begin the Feast, he was beyond nervous. That summer he had finally come to terms with his crush on Charlotte. Though he had asked her to the Ball and they’d had a lovely time and though he had continued to find her attractive in all qualities, he had never actually said the words I like her out loud to himself. And after all the trouble he had suffered attempting to write that first letter to Charlotte he realized it, and he said the words—only for Caelia to walk in the room and proceed to laugh her head off at his incredibly red face.

So there he sat at the Aladren table—unusual for Emrys as he normally tried to sit with Charlotte at the Crotalus table, and twisted his fingers, ignoring the looks Caelia shot his way every now and then. Charlotte was a sweet, pretty girl. She likely had all many of suitors by now as they were entering their sixth year and these suitors likely had been perfectly able to form coherent sentences around her and write her good letters, and Emrys just couldn’t help but feel he wouldn’t ever measure up to his competition. Thus, lost in a tangential thought process, Emrys argued with himself through the opening speech and only paused in his thinking to clap when he noticed the loud noise always starting a beat too late and a clap after everyone else had finished.

By the time they were allowed to eat Emrys was rather red-faced and ready to forget about the whole thing, and busied himself by filling up his plate will all manner of good things to eat. The more food he had available for him to eat the better, he thought, that way no one would really expect him to answer their question as his mouth would constantly be full of food because he was almost 95% sure that anything he was asked would be met with the response of “yes, I like her, okay? Now leave me alone!”

However, as he was filling his mouth with a particularly yummy serving of mashed potato his neighbor took that opportunity to ask him a question. Emrys’ face must have looked rather startled, and he turned to look, spoon paused halfway to his face. He set the utensil and potato down on the table and finished chewing the piece of chicken that was in his mouth. He took a long drink of water to prolong any possible conversation before finally saying. “I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that—I was enjoying this potato too much.”

OOC: Conjectures about Charlotte are just Emrys’ insecurities/speculation and not necessarily true of her.

10 Emrys Lucan In need of a mental beta. 260 Emrys Lucan 0 5

Ingrid Wolseithcrafte

May 30, 2015 4:44 AM

Fitting in by Ingrid Wolseithcrafte

Orientation had been kind of a drag. Ingrid hadn’t really spoken with anyone she clicked with. Food had been ok, having a tour had been in ok, in that she could now prioritise her efforts on proper exploring, looking for secret passageways and the like, as the basics had been given to her. She was excited to be sorted, even though she had very little doubt about where she would be put, because then she would be amongst kindred spirits and might start to make some friends.

She still looked surprisingly neat as their tour ended, and the first years were brought to the Cascade Hall to be sorted. Having been shepherded around all day, she hadn’t really had a chance to indulge in any of her usual activities, which went rather incompatibly with being nicely turned out. She was by no means a slovenly person but being rather active tended to lead to bows coming undone, shoelaces getting knotted and hair falling out of place. She avoided these hazards as best she could by dressing simply where possible - avoiding garments that needed their ribbons retying to be neat, or where a missing ornamental button was going to be conspicuous and sartorially sinful. However, it was almost as if her clothes sensed her nature, and refused to sit tidily on her no matter how much damage control she tried to implement. School robes would suit her, being designed to look universally dreadful and being practically immune to all damage - as well as which, Sonora’s went rather well with her eyes, bringing out their natural green. The creases her uniform had gained on the wagon ride had been straightened out by Francesca and Ingrid wasn’t slobby enough to spill food without noticing, having been raised with some lady-like manners. Currently the only issue was that they were sitting a little lopsidedly, a detail which Ingrid had failed to notice and attend to, but for the most part she was presentable, her long brown hair still in the ponytail she had retied during Mr. Xavier’s speech (out of boredom rather than concern for appearance).

When she sipped the sorting potion, her skin turned brown, and she made her way to the Pecari table, grinning broadly. She recognised many of the faces from her siblings’ yearbooks, which she had pored over during the summer, taking note of whom her housemates might be, especially those on the Quidditch team. It was strange, finding those animated little pictures she had seen suddenly transformed into real humans - feeling she knew them but knowing she didn’t.

When the head students and prefects were announced, she whooped and clapped. She didn’t really aspire to such honours herself (though they would be nice, and she supposed being Pecari-ish couldn’t really exclude one, seeing as Pecari needed prefects too) and in some ways they underlined the differences between her exceptionally academic brother and sister, and herself. But family was family, and she knew they would be delighted, which meant she was happy for them. Once the announcements and the singing were over, she turned eagerly to the feast in front of her, and the new company surrounding her. She felt spoilt for choice with both.

“Hi,” she grinned at her neighbour, spooning some of the nearby lamb and pumpkin casserole onto her plate as she decided that, in both cases, it was most convenient to go for what was close at hand. “I’m Ingrid Wolseithcrafte of Chicago,” the last three words came out more like one. It wasn’t that Ingrid thought of them as unimportant exactly - being from a respectable family mattered - but there weren’t any other Woleithcraftes, so they only added their origin in order to fit with the way everyone else did things and signal that they ought to be treated with that kind of respect too. But given that anyone who was anyone was made to study who else was anyone who was anyone, anyone who was anyone should already have known she was someone without her having to add ‘of Chicago,’ so in that sense it seemed rather pointless, and there were more interesting and important things to dwell on. “So, why do you think you ended up in Pecari?” she queried, keen to find out what made the people around her tick and start making some friends.

13 Ingrid Wolseithcrafte Fitting in 322 Ingrid Wolseithcrafte 0 5

Arnold Manger

May 31, 2015 12:30 AM

I can give it a try? by Arnold Manger

Sixth year, Arnold confidently believed, held much promise. It was a year of relative maturity both in terms of academics, as he and his peers transitioned into advanced level classes, and in terms of mentality. Sixteen years old was, by stereotypic standards, when teenagers began becoming freer. In the Muggle world, kids his age were given pieces of plastic to certify their competency to operate large and dangerous metal contraptions that accelerated at and around one another at considerable speeds. And, as many movies suggested, it was about the time where nearly everyone was dating.

It was that advancement for which the Aladren was most excited. Though it betrayed his intellectual nature, Arnold was rather enthusiastic about romance. As if it were yesterday, he recalled his boldest moment, asking Ji-Eun to the ball, an event that eventually resulted in them going as just friends, not because of any vocalized disinterest but because she was “not allowed” to date yet. Time had passed since then, and the redhead had been patient, trying to be the best friend he could for as long as she needed him to be.

But as of last year, though nothing had been discussed, he felt a lot less like “just a friend” of Ji-Eun. She had grown flirtatious and playful in a distinctly non-platonic manner, and Arnold felt therefore that perhaps formal courtship was just around the corner. Because she had expressed the need for time--or else endure some sort of implied parental wrath--Arnold determined it was best to wait to introduce any titles or formalities until Ji-Eun suggested them herself.

He was certain to say hello to her before heading off to the Aladren table, his brother’s supportive gaze burning into the back of his curly-haired head. Jake was great, and had in fact given Arnold the advice and confidence to ask Ji-Eun to the ball in the first place, but sometimes, the elder Manger brother wished he could just have a bit more privacy. The closeness of proximity in such a small school certainly allowed for very little, and the barrage of questions at home all summer had only intensified this dilemma. Even at school, there was no escape.

Arnold paid polite attention to the Headmaster’s speech, clapping when appropriate. In particular, he applauded the new Prefects and Head Students. Though he knew none of them terribly well, he idly hoped to be in Adam Spencer’s position in a year’s time. It was a daydream he hardly anticipated seeing fulfilled, but it was one he held nonetheless. His mother had been Head Girl of her school in Russia, so he hoped to make her proud. Sally had, in her time, at least made the ballot and gotten close, but he hoped to actually see it through. Jake was sure to get Prefect, which was an excellent stepping stone to Head Boy, but Arnold wanted to do it first. He dreamed to accomplish something here, to be somebody.

At the conclusion of the song and serving of food, he noticed next to whom he had seated himself: Emrys Lucan, his roommate, Prefect, and unspoken rival. Arnold had always been vaguely jealous of the friendship his two roommates had formed, always feeling a bit like an outsider. And watching Emrys being awarded that Prefect title--as aforementioned, a stepping stone to Head Boy--had done nothing to satiate this envy. He held no ill will for his roommate, of course, and found him a rather nice young man, but he was jealous nonetheless. Still, conversation with one’s gentile rivals was often better than listening to oneself chew in silence, so Arnold decided to greet him. “Hey, Emrys. Did you have a nice summer?”

There was a respectable pause as the other boy finished his mouthful before his response. “I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that--I was enjoying this potato too much.”

Arnold chuckled lightly. “They are pretty good potatoes,” he admitted, glancing down at his own plate of them. “I was just asking how your summer went.” Emrys seemed a bit caught up in something, his face a bit flushed, and Arnold hoped a friendly conversation might help calm his storm, if only temporarily.

12 Arnold Manger I can give it a try? 261 Arnold Manger 0 5

Ava Fletcher

May 31, 2015 2:02 AM

This is a kissing free, mother free zone. by Ava Fletcher

Ava shoved a piece of buttered bread in her mouth and chewed angrily. What exactly did it mean when a boy kissed you? Ava wasn’t sure she was the best person to ask about that particular matter, but nonetheless she found herself asking that question to the person who knew her best in the whole world—herself. It had all started when Papa told her Demetre was visiting George again. The majority of the summer had gone by as expected. The two had fought tooth and nail, Demetre teasing her to no end—any truce they’d forged the last time they had been together had been forgotten and Charlotte had lost touch with her again, making Ava feel as though her mother didn’t want her at all (that was a whole nother can of worms that she really didn’t want to think about at that moment in a room full of people who might possibly see her break down).

Through it all, she found herself wishing that she was back at Sonora with Emery and Emrys and Chloe because they got on much better, so when it came time to leave for the wagon, she had bounded into her grandfather’s vw bug happily, chattering to him about all the people she hoped to see again that she hadn’t written over the summer—she wasn’t very good at writing letters, she was too impatient for them, and any letter she would have sent out to her friends would have been short, quick notes just to let them know that she was home, in Port Townsend, and alive. She felt slightly guilty, she had told her grandfather, especially because Emrys wrote such nice letters, but she was just incapable of doing so.

However, when Papa had stopped to fill up the tank and then sent Ava in with some money to buy cokes and a bag of peanuts for them to eat while they drove to the station. While in the gum aisle, Ava had been debating whether or not to use some of her pocket money to get a small pack of gum for the…flight? Her arm brushed against a very familiar body. “So, you’re going then,” he’d asked. Ava had just nodded in response. “Right, well then, I’ll see you later,” the awkward, non-antagonistic good-bye (in total opposition from the rather rude good-bye from the previous night) was the punctuated with a hasty kiss, something so quick that Ava didn’t even realize it had happened until Demetre had already dropped his bag of chips and run out the door, the flannel shirt tied around his waist billowing behind him.

In a haze she had bought the cokes and the peanuts and her chattering had slowed down the rest of the way to the station. She didn’t know how to feel about the incident, and had decided that if that’s what kisses were like then she didn’t think she ever wanted to be kissed again. It was wet and dry at the same time and Demetre’s teeth had kind of clinked hers and it made her feel like she was going to throw up. She swallowed the bread which settled in her stomach like a lump of very dry oatmeal. Ava didn’t really like oatmeal, much less dry oatmeal.

“So,” she said as she reached for a cup of coffee rather angrily, a drink she didn’t like too much but that she remembered her father did like so as a result she had decided to start drinking despite the bitter taste it left in her mouth. “How was your summer? Please tell me it didn’t involve any kissing, I couldn’t stand to talk about that particular subject at this moment.” She wanted to ask her neighbor not to talk about mothers or parents either, for that matter, but also didn’t really want many people to know about that particular part of her life.

10 Ava Fletcher This is a kissing free, mother free zone. 258 Ava Fletcher 0 5

Araceli Arbon

May 31, 2015 9:37 AM

Fraying at the edges by Araceli Arbon

Araceli’s hair flowed in the breeze as she stepped off the wagon, back into the world of Sonora. Her small body was slightly less small than last year, though she still felt frustratingly tiny compared to those around her. Last year had been hard, it had to have been the hardest, but it was over now. The most scrutinous pair of eyes, the most likely to call her out, had graduated and gone. Those who were still here had now had equal exposure to the first year Araceli and to the new and improved version they’d met last year. People’s memories were short. Araceli had started shy and scared and homesick - natural feelings, though perhaps exhibited to an unnatural degree - and now she wasn’t those things. She had moved on, albeit it through unconventional means. As she over-wrote their impressions, she became freer to behave however she felt. There was still the potion, and everything was still a strain - there were still ways in which she could get it wrong - but it had to be getting better.

The weight of the vial in her pocket was so familiar now that she didn’t notice it. One year. She had spent one year on the stuff. She tried not to think about who she might be without it but it was hard. A year was a long time. Things changed. Surely she had changed. Her old self, hidden and buried under the potion’s influence, was surely still developing. Developing into whom though? Who was she now and what was she like? She hated mirrors. They only served to remind her how disconnected she felt - how could the features looking back at her really be her own if she didn’t know what was truly going on behind them any more? Nonetheless, over the summer, when she was alone, she found herself drawn in by the mirrors around her. She would examine her own face, she didn’t know how long for, trying to find answers or even clues about herself.

She walked into the hall, feeling marginally less irrelevant and powerless than she had done last year. At least she was an intermediate now. It was still bound to be tedious in the extreme but she wasn’t the bottom rung any more. And she was in classes with Duncan. She had enjoyed their chat in the library last year. He was the first person whom she felt had no preconceived notions about her and, though she had to mind herself and still say just the right thing, she had felt able to connect with him in a way she hadn’t with other people.

She took a seat at the Crotalus table, watching the first years take their potion, clapping politely for prefects and head students, the routine now familiar. The feast was served up, and she helped herself with a lot less worry than she had the year before, selecting a salmon fillet and salad.

“Good evening,” she intoned smoothly to her neighbour. She’d had such trouble getting used to hearing this voice tumbling from her lips but it seemed natural now. It seemed like her voice. “How are you this evening?”

13 Araceli Arbon Fraying at the edges 290 Araceli Arbon 0 5

Virginia Bellrose

May 31, 2015 2:21 PM

My last Opening Feast. by Virginia Bellrose

Virginia’s summer had been a wonderful time away from school for her. Her Coming of Age party had been a huge success and she was sort of dating Maxwell. They hadn’t made it official or anything,but they spent everyday together and both their parents seemed okay with the idea of them being on their own. Her parents were ecstatic about it, actually. Ginny assumed that they took this as a good sign about Ginny’s future. Honestly, Ginny had no idea where anything would lead with Maxwell. People were fickle and there was a chance that he would meet someone at University. He did promise to continue writing to her though, so she had that to look forward too.

She was finally a Seventh year. Finally going to finish with all this schooling and go back home to start on the next chapter of her life (whatever that may be). She would miss her friends, of course, but there were always owls and visits whenever they wanted.

Coming to the school earlier in the day meant that Ginny could unpack and relax on her bed until the feast that evening. She never had to share her room with anyone, which was a nice treat, but also a little lonely. She probably could have wandered around until she found Francesca or Adam, but figured they were meeting up with their other friends.

Of course, even coming earlier didn’t change the fact that the feast felt exactly the same. There was still the same feeling of nervous excitement and the first years still looked like small little beings even compared to her small stature. But soon enough, everything quieted and the evening began. First went the sorting and then the announcements. One in particular affected her.

Ginny knew that her friends would be the ones to get the Head Student positions, they were the obvious choices for the positions, but even after time of preparing herself for their names to be called, the sting of knowing they had gotten those titles was still prevalent. She would have preferred if none of them had gotten the title rather than being left out from that moment with them. They were already both Captains to a game Ginny never quite got into and now they were sharing this too.

She didn’t think she had Adam had really ever repaired anything. They just glossed over all of it and pretended to move on. She supposed he would never understand why she had been so hurt by anything as he seemed too into everything else to realize she had deeper feelings for him, but there was nothing to be done about that now. Ginny was in a good place and her feelings for her first friend had faded greatly into nothing more than a slight blush when she thought of him.

Ginny’s face remained pleasant as she clapped for her friends. She would not allow herself to get into a funk over the titles. She knew that they both worked hard and therefore deserved the badges and she didn’t want to be that person and ruin it for them. Besides, her parents already said that after Sonora, she could join the Dance Academy near their home and continue with her dance. Unlike Francesca, college was not in Ginny’s future. She wasn’t bred that way. So, Head Girl wasn’t going to get Ginny as far as it would Francesca. Knowing this, made everything easier and Ginny’s smile relaxed.

Tucking her short brown hair behind her ear, Ginny looked around at the food that was available. Deciding on grilled chicken, Ginny began to serve herself some food. “Good evening.” She greeted the person nearest to her. Did you have a good summer?”

6 Virginia Bellrose My last Opening Feast. 0 Virginia Bellrose 0 5

Emilia-Louise Scott

May 31, 2015 3:39 PM

Definitely something new. by Emilia-Louise Scott

As Emilia-Louise Scott stepped into Cascade Hall for the first time amongst her yearmates she thought that perhaps the new orientation idea for her year group's first day had been a good thing after all. Met with a sea of unfamiliar (and many much older) faces she felt mildly unnerved but refused to let it show. What was there to be nervous about anyway?

Cascade Hall was very grandly decorated and Emmy-Lou tried her best not to gape too much but... there was water running down the walls! When the goblet reached her she took an eager sip and watched as her skin turned blue. Aladren. She smiled. There may have been a part of Emmy-Lou that felt mild concern at the thought of joining the 'clever house' and that she might not be of quite the same high intellectual level as her housemates. Yet now was not the time to worry about such things and more than anything she felt quite proud to think that her Aladren qualities overpowered those relating to any other house. She knew that Rob would be proud of her and found herself wondering if Grandad Fintoc would too, and perhaps even her own father... although she didn't care much for Broderick Scott and his opinions of her, of course.

As she made her way towards the table of her new house, Emmy-Lou looked out for Chuck and Joella over at the Pecari table. She spotted her stepbrother who gave her a thumbs up to which she grinned. Perhaps it would be better for her if she wasn't in his house as it forced her to be more independent, not that she thought she wasn't already.

Headmaster Brockert seemed neither friendly nor enthusiastic and only really said the necessities before the school song was sung and everyone was free to eat and talk. As Emmy-Lou began serving herself some chicken she looked her to talk to the boy across the table from her. He got there first, however, and she was rather taken aback by his manner.

"Pass the potatoes."

Just because Emmy-Lou didn't agree with the more extreme rules of etiquette which she believed many pureblood society members took far too seriously, it did not mean she saw no value in basic courtesy and manners. She was rather horrified by the way the Aladren boy addressed her. Was it that he thought she was beneath him because of her blood status or her age? In truth she didn't really care for the reason; the fact remained that he had been rude. She sincerely hoped that all Aladrens were not like him because she definitely couldn't envisage herself fitting in if this was the case.

"Excuse me?" She almost gave him the chance to redeem himself, thinking that maybe she had simply misheard. But she knew she hadn't and so went on to call him out on his rudeness. "Might I remind you that I am not your House Elf and you should make use of your manners if you want anything from me." It wasn't the kind of friendly way in which she had wanted to introduce herself to her housemates but she thought she had worded her response carefully enough that offence could not be taken, or she hoped so at least. Of course, she didn’t really know whether he had a House Elf at home but his cold posture seemed to suggest that he was exactly ‘that kind’.

8 Emilia-Louise Scott Definitely something new. 313 Emilia-Louise Scott 0 5

Joella Curtis

May 31, 2015 4:07 PM

Mixed feelings. by Joella Curtis

Joella's excitement to begin her third year at Sonora Academy had been slightly dampened by having to leave her beloved new horse at home. She had been given Snorri by her parents as a birthday gift in early August after having found a particular affection for the winged creature whilst staying with her friend Audrey Montague. It did not feel as though Joella's time with the Granian had been long enough even after spending the whole August month bonding with him. The thought of returning to Sonora even sooner than usual was one that, quite oddly, she did not like.

It was only when the covered wagon touched ground again that Joella was reminded just how much there was to miss about her school and all of the excitement she had ahead of her. Her close childhood friend, Emilia-Louise Scott, would starting her very first day at Sonora and Joella was keen to finally be able to share such a magical place with the younger girl who had always been so interested in her experiences at the academy. Whilst Emmy-Lou and the other first years had their orientation, a new idea that Joella rather wished she hasn't missed out on, the rest of the students were free to do as they wished. Having bumped into Emmy's stepbrother, Chuck Fintoc, in the Pecari common room, Joella had spent most of her free time catching up with him. She had seen him over the summer at her brother's wedding but had had little chance to properly talk to him by himself so she found herself glad of such an opportunity.

She was grateful that he commented on how nice she looked, hoping it wasn't just him being polite. Over the holiday, Joella had undergone several changes to her physical appearance, most namely to her hair which was now a black colour but she was already thinking of switching subtly to a very dark brown perhaps at Christmas. She had also grown somewhat since last term, although she still couldn't be described as tall (or even remotely so) and her figure remained as stick like as ever. Today she wore a small amount of mascara on her lashes but she did not think make-up was something she would take the time to apply every day. Joella's skin was as tanned as it always was after spending the summer at home and the smattering of freckles around her nose were much more prominent.

Taking a seat at her house table, the Pecari looked on eagerly as the first years entered the hall. She found herself with mixed feelings as her dear friend Emmy-Lou was sorted into Aladren but quickly resolved that she should not take Quidditch rivalry so seriously off the Pitch, flashing a smile in the direction of the chubby blonde even though she didn't think she had noticed her. Joella was glad to see her teammates Adam and Liliana both called up. She thought it particularly impressive that Adam would be Quidditch Captain and Head Boy this year and interesting that it should be the same for Francesca Wolseithcrafte.

It took the dark haired girl a moment to realize that what Headmaster Brockert had to say regarding intermediate students concerned her because she was now an intermediate student. Joella wasn’t sure if Divination appealed to her but there was really only one way to find out so she decided she would take up the opportunity and attend the new class.

The Pecari joined in with singing the school song but quickly turned her attention to the food in front of her when they were given the go-ahead. “Excuse me,” she got the attention of another nearby student, setting a bowl of potatoes back down on the table as she spoke. “Would you mind passing me the chicken salad, please?” At home, they were never without a good meal but she couldn’t deny that the diversity of foods that Sonora provided at feasts was something to look forward to.

8 Joella Curtis Mixed feelings. 295 Joella Curtis 0 5

Emery Kijewski-Jareau

May 31, 2015 4:24 PM

But...kissing is fun? by Emery Kijewski-Jareau

This summer had been incredibly weird. Like, beyond anything Emery could have thought possible and there were a lot of crazy things that could have happened within those thoughts. First, there was the whole debacle with Chloe’s mother. Emery sort of understood her reasoning for things but also didn’t. Emery’s father was a sperm donor, plain and simple, so he always thought that Chloe felt the same way about her mother. The woman didn’t spend more than a couple of days with her. She really was only an egg donor. At the same time, Emery knew there was a history there between his dad and Chloe’s birth mom and that’s what changed the label of her. Still, all this time had passed and Chloe had still been curious?

The whole thing left a sour taste in his mouth. He couldn’t imagine what it had been like for his sister to find her mother in that situation or how terrifying it must have been for her to have to leave her there to find help. Chloe seemed okay after a few days. Maybe shaken, but otherwise, still herself. This led into Emery’s other weird issues with summer.

His friends all kept telling him how hot his sister had become!

That was disgusting. It was the equivalent of being told his mother was hot (he was NOT going to think about all the comments his friends made about that either). He didn’t want to think of any of his family members like that at all. At all. He was disturbed by the fact that his friends felt it was necessary to make any sort of comment on that to him. Of course, they mostly did it because they thought it was funny to see his reaction, but it didn’t change the fact that they still meant what they said.

Emery acknowledged the fact that they had all changed, noticeably so. Emery had shot up several inches, his shoulders have broadened, and he had filled out more, leaving him less lanky looking than in years previous. He still had a head of curly brown hair and hints of freckles, but at least now he felt like he looked more of an adult than that of a child. Knowing how much of a change he had gone through only meant that his sister had also gone through those as well, but he refused to acknowledge that. Besides, most days, there was only one girl who occupied his mind and he thought she was far prettier than his sister.

Now the summer was over and as stressful as it had been some of the time, he was glad to be with his family. Angel was worse, but he was still there and hopefully Emery will be able to help out once he graduated in two years. So long as Angel stayed with them for him to do that.

Once he got to Sonora, the short trip meant that he was more restless than tired. After unpacking his things, Emery decided to use the rest of his time to walk around the school and get reaquainted with things there before the Feast.

If Emery had paid any attention to who was sitting at the table when he entered the Hall, he would have noticed that Emrys was there and gone to see why, but he was so used to Emrys being with Charlotte that he hadn’t thought twice about finding a seat next to Ava instead. Emery thought it was good luck that he had managed to find a seat next to her and that perhaps it meant that this term might be off to a great start.

He had listened to the speech, watched the sorting, clapped for the new Prefects and Head Students (still hopeful for Head Boy, but now no longer putting much faith into the system), and then listened to everyone else sing. He was just starting to dig into his food when Ava started talking. At her question, Emery started coughing as his food suddenly felt stuck, and his dropped fork clanged against the plate. “Kis-kissing?” Emery stammered after swallowing his potato. “Who’s kissing who?” He asked, his green eyes wide and then making a horrifying realization, “Were you kissing someone?” Emery asked, cringing at the sound that his voice made. It sounded pitiful.

6 Emery Kijewski-Jareau But...kissing is fun? 259 Emery Kijewski-Jareau 0 5

Makenzie Newell

May 31, 2015 5:04 PM

I'm a-frayed that does knot sound good. by Makenzie Newell

Makenzie shifted in her seat, leaning around the taller Housemates in her way in an attempt to glimpse the Sorting process. Though typically not a particularly uncaring individual, she wasn’t actually terribly interested in most of the first years; instead, all of her focus was centered on a single young boy. Dustin Newell, heir apparent, was joining his cousin at Sonora this year. He was an upright (and uptight) young thing who, despite being two years her junior, had a bad habit of trying to parent her. For that reason more than anything else, she was hypervigilant of his Sorting, hoping to see him turn a shade of anything other than red. She didn’t need his hovering.

Much to her relief, Dustin turned blue instead. Aladren. A fitting place, she felt, for a kid so logical and stiff. Her cousin was a know-it-all who knew it some, and hopefully there, he could learn a thing or two. The redhead relaxed into her seat, settling in to listen to the Headmaster call up the new student leaders and make his announcements. A concert sounded interesting, and Makenzie wondered what exactly it would include, but she supposed she just had to wait for more details.

However, despite the enthusiastic and plentiful feast before her, even when the school was released to eat, Makenzie found herself lacking an appetite. Maybe she was more nervous about Dustin being here than she thought. She was a good girl, recognized as Most Well Behaved by the entire school, but she was still worried he would find some fault in her behaviors and report back to their family. Maybe he wouldn’t like that it was all she was known for. Maybe she should have been Class Princess or Most Creative or Biggest Brain or something too. Maybe she wouldn’t be good enough in his eyes and consequently the eyes of the whole family. It was kind of a lot pressure for a thirteen-year-old girl.

“Good evening.” Oh, and speaking of thirteen-year-old girls, beside her sat her roommate, Araceli. Having now spent the same amount of time with a vocal Araceli as with a silent one, hearing her voice had become less jarring than it had been a year ago, although Makenzie still held memories of the quiet young blonde who came and went like a gentle phantom through their shared quarters. Araceli wasn’t that girl anymore, and Makenzie was happy for her. “How are you this evening?”

“I’m pretty good, thanks,” Makenzie smiled at her friend. “What about you? Glad to be back?” They were third years now, transitioning into intermediate level courses. There would be new challenges ahead of them and new classmates with whom to conquer them; personally, Makenzie was pretty excited about the whole thing. She wasn’t necessarily the most academically inclined student, but she always tried her best and found pleasure in the challenge.

12 Makenzie Newell I'm a-frayed that does knot sound good. 291 Makenzie Newell 0 5

Chuck Fintoc

May 31, 2015 5:43 PM

Playing brother quite well, I think. by Chuck Fintoc

As much as Chuck loved the opportunities that Sonora Academy provided for increasing his knowledge in all sorts of areas he might otherwise have been ignorant of his whole life, the twelve year old had very much looked forward to going home for the summer at the end of the previous term. He hadn’t been especially homesick as such but simply felt as though the Fintoc family ranch was where he really belonged, surrounded by his uncles and cousins, the horses and cattle, working outside in the sun all day long. He was quite big for his age and helping out on the ranch his whole life meant he was a strong boy and therefore of use on the farm, as opposed to being a hindrance like some of his younger cousins often were.

The only time that Chuck had spent with his stepmother and stepsister in their home (which was now supposedly his home too) in L.A. was for a couple of days around Bolivar Curtis’s wedding in July and also a few days before setting off to return to Sonora. This most certainly wasn’t because he disliked the company of Heather or Emmy-Lou in anyway as he was actually very fond of them, having come to view them as truly part of the family over the years since his father married Heather what must have been at least three years ago by now, but although Chuck did well to adapt to the situation, it was common knowledge that he was very far from being a city boy. Heather and Emmy-Lou both seemed very enamoured of the Fintoc farming life, however, so Chuck did not miss out on too much of their company as they came to stay in Colorado with Rob a few times.

Chuck was very keen to have his stepsister join him at Sonora so he could perhaps get to spend more time with her again, having seen much less of her since he began attending the school last September. Yet his relationship with her had moved very swiftly from a friendship to them being very much brother and sister and he knew that she wouldn’t want too much of his company as she tried to make her own way, finally receiving the independence she had always seemed so restless for. Chuck himself thought he had been quite keen on the idea of starting Sonora in his first year for all its adventurousness, but Emmy-Lou seemed even more so.

Upon arrival back at Sonora, Chuck had been a little concerned as to how he would occupy his time now that there was this new orientation thing for first years that required the students to get to school earlier. He ended up spending much of the free time before the Opening Feast with Joella Curtis, a girl he had made friends with instantly when he met her several years ago. He was fairly sure that their paths had probably crossed several times before when they were much younger, given the connections between their families, but neither of them could particularly remember earlier memories of meeting each other before Emmy-Lou had made formal introductions. Chuck enjoyed spending time with Joella, her farming background not so dissimilar to his, and she totally got his sense of humour. The two of them weren’t overly close but it never mattered how long they went without talking or seeing one another as they always picked up right where they’d left off the last time.

Chuck felt an unfamiliar sense of brotherly pride as he watched his stepsister enter Cascade Hall for the first time and watched eagerly as she took a sip from the goblet. He was rather surprised that she turned blue, although not overly so. Emmy-Lou had always been very interested in knowing things and she had a very strong willed nature which he supposed fitted with the description of the Aladren House, he reasoned. He didn’t know if he was disappointed she hadn’t joined him in Pecari or not but if he was he made sure not to show it, giving her a thumbs up when he caught her eye.

There was little else he could do after that but listen to the Headmaster’s notices and sing along to the school song, leaving Emmy-Lou to find her own friends over at the Aladren table. When the food appeared, Chuck began serving himself large portions. He always ate quite a lot, particularly at home because ranch work gained one quite an appetite but also at Sonora because the school’s feast were definitely something. It was only when he thought he should not fill his plate anymore until he’d emptied it a bit else he’d seem rather greedy and ill-mannered that Chuck addressed a nearby student. “Good evening,” he smiled widely. “How was your summer?” It was the polite question to ask after a long break but one that invited interesting responses as a lot of people often got up to all sorts of unfamiliar things during their holidays that were so different from how Chuck occupied his time away from school.

8 Chuck Fintoc Playing brother quite well, I think. 309 Chuck Fintoc 0 5

Ava Fletcher

May 31, 2015 7:04 PM

Fun to say, maybe. by Ava Fletcher

If Charlotte was speaking to her then Ava could have asked her for motherly advice, but she wasn’t and the thought which had so sneakily popped up into her mind forced Ava to chug down the coffee that remained in her mug, wincing at the bitter taste it left in her mouth and turned to Emery to ask for him to pass some water just in time to catch him drop his fork and make a really odd face. The choking that soon followed concerned Ava and her eyebrows knitted together before she reached over and patted his back sympathetically in an attempt to help him stop choking.

“Don’t you listen?” she asked, her eyes twinkling and her voice light to show that she wasn’t annoyed. “I said I didn’t want to talk about kissing.” She waited until she was sure he was done coughing before giving him two small, reassuring pats and removing her hand to return to her food.

She ripped off another piece of bread and put that in her mouth, forcing herself to chew and swallow. “You know,” she said almost to herself. “I’d expected my first kiss to go somewhat different, perhaps with someone I actually liked, someone friendly, maybe a friend.” Ava peeped an eye at Emery. “Hey, have you kissed anyone yet?” If Emery had kissed anyone then perhaps he would be able to tell her what it all meant. Though for some reason the thought of Emery kissing anyone made Ava upset. Be quiet, she told herself as she waited for his response. No one asked your opinion.

She let her eyes wander around the room before settling on Chloe. Her friend was quite pretty and Ava had wondered a couple times last year if she’d ever kissed a boy. If she had then perhaps…but no, Ava didn’t want to think about Chloe kissing anyone either, it all seemed so weird. Nevertheless, she figured that if she kept Emery on the distasteful subject of kissing she could keep him away from the even more distasteful subject of mothers. “Do you think Emrys has kissed Charlotte yet? Or Chloe, has she kissed anyone yet?”

The more she said the word, the more comfortable she was with it and she continued to repeat it a couple of times to see how it sat in her mouth. Actually, she found, it was a fun word to say and it kept that awful gas station scene in her mind so she didn’t have to think about the fourteen—no, thirteen letters (because she’d been sent a card on her birthday and she supposed that counted as a reply even if it didn’t address any of the things Ava had actually put in her letters), that she’d sent but had been left unanswered.

“What an interesting word,” she said, her eyes stinging. “Isn’t it an interesting word?” Ava fell silent and took another bite of her bread in an attempt to keep her voice from wavering. “So, how was your summer? Did you do anything fun with your family?”

10 Ava Fletcher Fun to say, maybe. 258 Ava Fletcher 0 5

Barnaby Pye

May 31, 2015 7:05 PM

New and a bit alarming? by Barnaby Pye

The chubby blonde girl who had sat down beside him seemed to take great offense to Barnaby’s manner of speaking and he just turned vaguely amused eyes to her, one eyebrow raised slightly. He reached past the girl whose skin was bright blue, indicating herself as a first year, and served himself some potatoes. “You know,” he said pointedly. “If you didn’t want to pass the potatoes you could have just ignored me. I would have gotten them myself eventually.”

Barnaby was pretty used to taking care of himself—after all, once Alfie and Father’d had their big fight he’d been pretty much on his own (he didn’t really count either of his parents are real parents) other than the house elf and the nursemaid both of whom rather gave him the creeps and both of whom he had learned to avoid whenever possible. Of the adults in his life, his tutor was really the only one that he ever really felt he could depend on, and now that roll had been replaced by various professors who really didn’t measure up to his beloved Mr. Callihan.

“I take it from your skin you’re a first year?” The way he phrased it was really more of a comment than a question, and Barnaby wondered just how excitable this new girl was. Since she’d already appeared rather perturbed at how he’d asked for potatoes he wondered just how long it would take for him to get her to never speak to him again.

It really had nothing to do with any particular malice or ill-will, and was more of a social experiment, really. Besides, Barnaby had already decided he didn’t want any friends.—Tarquin had set him straight on that over the summer. What he needed was an accomplice, someone who sat by him during meal times and study periods, but someone who didn’t talk to him unless absolute necessary, someone who didn’t mind some intellectual banter about suppositions every now and then, but also someone who preferred peace and quiet to mindless chattering and small talk.

This new girl was definitely not the sort he needed as she was so…what was the word…, or at least too much so for Barnaby, and he’d ruled his two roommates out already—Spencer was the enjoyable chatty sort and Donovan was just…weird. Besides, Barnaby had his own suspicions about that particular roommate, and he couldn’t very well express these suppositions to the very subject of said suppositions since that would just be counter-productive. The whole fun of supposing was the actually not knowing of the right answer while one was supposing.

10 Barnaby Pye New and a bit alarming? 298 Barnaby Pye 0 5

Dustin Newell

May 31, 2015 7:35 PM

My title name was super lame, so this is what we got by Dustin Newell

His skin was blue.

As the heir of a wealthy Pureblood family, Dustin had always been around magic. He had seen spells, potions, beasts, and everything else. But he could not say that there had been a time where his skin had been blue prior to this Sorting affair. He hadn’t really been fond of drinking a mysterious magical liquid from the provided goblet, although that was honestly a bit more of germophobia than distrust. Obviously a school wouldn’t try to poison their new students. He just hoped no one in his year group was sick. This worry held more toward the Muggleborns in the group, not because of any real prejudice but mostly out of ignorance--who knew if there were some dangerous Muggle diseases to which he would have no immunity?

But despite the risks, he had done it, and now here he was. Blue. Honestly, he was a bit surprised, anticipating to join Makenzie in Crotalus, but this had been his second guess, so he still credited himself with correctness. After all, Dustin Newell did not tend to be wrong.

He joined his new Housemates at their table, finding a place to sit among the older students and remaining quiet while the Headmaster spoke. Dustin listened, although fairly uninterested in the announcements, given he didn’t know the upperclassmen being awarded badges or care too much about any new teacher. After all, they were all knew to him. He wasn’t entirely sure what a Midsummer Event was or what having a Concert would demand of him, but he supposed it was all in due time. However, when sheet music appeared in front of him, he was rather unsettled by the instruction to sing. Dustin could in fact read music, but he was more than a little uncomfortable singing in such a clustered group where anyone around him could hear him. The brunet instead simply mouthed the words along.

And then there was food, splendid, ridiculous amounts. It was truly a feast that lay before them. So far, Dustin was finding Sonora rather pleasant, although he noticed as he reached to fill his plate that his skin was still blue for some reason. That was rather upsetting. “Excuse me,” he said to a neighbor whose skin was not blue, hopefully an upperclassmen and not someone who happened to have faded exceptionally fast. “Hello, I am Dustin Newell of Michigan. Do you happen to know just how long I’m going to be blue?”

12 Dustin Newell My title name was super lame, so this is what we got 312 Dustin Newell 0 5

Clark Dill

May 31, 2015 7:59 PM

Not for me, but I might not be your first choice by Clark Dill

Clark's summer had been a good one. He was fourteen now, so Dad was giving him a bit more freedom to do things on his own. Everywhere he went independently had to be within bike range or reachable by public transportation, of course, as he was too young to drive or apparate yet and broom flying had some serious draw-backs in the heavily muggle area where Clark lived, but he was a solid bike-rider and he could make it a few miles on his ten-speed and he had a metro pass that could get him as far as DC if he wanted to and told Dad where he was going.

Of course, he mostly went to the planetarium, the library, and a few museums, so it wasn't like Dad had anything to worry about. Well, except the time he'd lost track of when the last train home left relative to how long it took to walk back to the metro station from the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, and he'd needed to call in a ride home. But mostly, he'd done okay, and he'd been more careful after that about making sure he didn't get stuck on the wrong end of the tracks.

Dad seemed to have no idea that most of his muggle friends did not have his new level of freedom at only 14, but Clark didn't really see a need to educate him on the point. He'd gathered Dad's folks had been kind of neglectful and stuff and let him run all over Detroit at a younger age than that, but he knew Dad was granting Clark a privilege based on trust, not neglect. Dad trusted him to behave and be responsible, and Clark was going to do his darned best to prove himself worthy of it.

Still, it had been pretty awesome, being totally unsupervised like that, and if he had gone through his own pocket money much faster than he probably would have if his super-frugal Dad had been hovering nearby frowning every time he got into a register queue to buy a snack or a souvenir, he was okay with that. He'd been given a good chuck to work with this summer since he hadn't gone to a summer camp or gotten a fancy new computer this year.

He'd even had enough left over to get a decent broom when he went school shopping a few days ago. It wasn't a great broom, by any means, but it was good one and it was his alone and it was built in the last decade, so he counted it as an improvement.

Arriving at the school earlier than normal, Clark had opted to head right to the Cascade Hall as he had every year previously. He felt no need to risk spending a few extra hours with Oliver Ferguson if he didn't have to. He'd spent the time wandering about, eating snacks and chatting with his classmates and, well, whoever seemed like they wouldn't mind joining him in conversation. Soon enough, though, people began settling down in their
respective House tables, so Clark headed over to his.

He wasn't particular about who he sat near, only being careful to avoid Oliver as was his habit, and he found himself sitting next to Theodore Wolseithcrafte, who, while being of the class that preferred the company of those belonging to the same class, he at least seemed to be reasonably accepting of his Quidditch teammates most of the time.

So when the announcements and the song were over, Clark thought nothing of Theodore's willingness to chat. He also wondered if maybe he was some kind of good luck charm because it was the second year in a row he found himself saying, "Congratulations on making Prefect!" He wondered if he should mention Francesca's new badge, too, but decided he could offer his felicitations to her directly, at the Quidditch Try-Outs probably, if he didn't see her before that.

With that said, he continued in order to answer the question Theodore had posed to him. "My summer was great! Saw a bunch of museums, got my money's worth out of my season membership to the planetarium, and got ahead on my independent studies. Bought a new broom of my own, too, so hopefully that keeps me ahead of the other Seekers in our matches this year. How was yours?"

1 Clark Dill Not for me, but I might not be your first choice 277 Clark Dill 0 5

Arne Reinhardt

May 31, 2015 8:04 PM

Last to be sorted, last to care. by Arne Reinhardt

Arne walked into Cascase Hall, his steps slightly shuffled and his head down. If he’d been looking up he likely would have noticed the way the light in Cascade Hall bounced around even if he never would have admitted it, but he wasn’t, he was looking down at his feet, not because he was frustrated or upset, but because he just didn’t feel like he really wanted to look at anyone and besides, it was out of habit. While staring at his shoes he couldn’t help but notice that his own scuffed-up Converse which had been hand-me downs from his best friend’s older brother because he’d refused to wear the nice shoes his mother had bought him, were in contrast to the click-ity Mary janes that Laila was sporting and he grinned, turning to the Muggleborn who seemed to have gravitated towards him at some point during the tour.

“Nice shoes, Kennedy,” he whispered rather snarkily. “Stereotype much?” He grinned when she didn’t respond but rather inched away from him and tossed her head impatiently. Satisfied that he had been able to get one more jab in before they were sorted and likely separated, he turned forward to the Headmaster, idly listening as he adamantly kept his back to the older students, acting as though he were impressed with the walls of the room which he had just begun to notice. In reality, he did think the walls were rather nice looking, but he was loathe to admit that especially because looking at them had really just been a way to keep him from looking for Tobi in the crowd. His stupid big brother was likely looking out for him and Arne groaned, thinking that Tobi still cared about him despite everything.

When the first years began to form their lines, Arne let himself be jostled to the back of the line, casting a rather cynical grin towards the now red Laila when his skin turned the same color as hers. He saw, rather than heard, her groan and instead of taking a seat next to her, he mouthed “see ya’ in the common room,” deciding that the longer he took to start their next conversation the more likely she would be to be extra irritated, and found a seat next to another red student. “Arne Reinhardt,” he offered, letting his last name explain his position since he’d never been one for proper conduct and anyone who cared wasn’t someone he felt particularly inclined to deal with at that moment. “Want to pass the fish?”

He felt eyes at the back of his head, but he refused to turn around, knowing that it would likely be Tobi attempting to catch his attention so he could mouth some sort of meeting up later plan which Arne didn’t really think he wanted to go through with for some time. Through no fault of his own, Tobi had just earned a spot lower on the list of people Arne liked at the moment. Truly, if Arne needed someone (or something) to blame for this movement, it would be the potion he had just imbibed to make his skin red, because he had also just realized that red skin meant Crotalus and Crotalus meant a combined Quidditch team with Teppenpaw which meant that either he or Tobi would be playing on the team for the next five years and he was willing to bet it would be Tobi since Liac was captain and Tobi was older than him.

Then again, he thought, if he were to just mention an interest in joining the team he was almost certain that Tobi would decide not to come back if he realized he was the one standing in the way of what Arne wanted. However, to receive such unsolicited charity from the brother he wasn’t too happy with at that moment didn’t sound too fun to Arne—he’d rather not play Quidditch than be in debt to Tobi. Arne scowled as he then realized that Tobi was not the sort of person to hold someone in his debt and the thought made him hate his older brother even more.

10 Arne Reinhardt Last to be sorted, last to care. 319 Arne Reinhardt 0 5

Sammy Meeks

May 31, 2015 8:10 PM

Nice to meat you! by Sammy Meeks

Another September first meant another time saying goodbye to her brother and her moms, but Sammy was super excited to go back to Sonora. She had a great first year in this brand new world of magic and monsters, particularly enthused about all the new and exciting powers she was learning had been inside her all along. It felt vaguely like a cheesy way to think of things (particularly in that phrasing, yuck), but whatever. Sammy was a magical witch with magical powers and it was super cool.

She liked the way her wand felt in her pocket, the semi-visible outline on her leg as she sat down at the Pecari table. This year, she didn’t have the pleasure of turning a weird color after drinking a funny liquid, but she did get to watch other kids do it, so that was kinda cool. Living vicariously or whatever. Sammy did her best to take note of which ones turned brown for Pecari and somewhat let the rest slip through her memory to be picked up later if and when she needed to know them.

The announcements and stuff she didn’t really care about, and the songs was lame and also she wasn’t a good singer, so she opted out of that whole shebang. The part she cared about was coming soon enough: FOOD! Sonora had awesome food because apparently physics and science didn’t apply and they could just make stuff out of nothing and then bam, meatloaf, or poof, ham! Both of those two items were before her, and she graciously placed both on her plate, as well as a bit of turkey, just for good measure. Gotta get that protein, dude.

It wasn’t until she made accidental eye contact with a stranger whom she had seen glancing at her plate that the brunette realized she had compiled an order of nothing but meat. With a crooked smile, she offered unapologetically, “This is exactly what it looks like.”

12 Sammy Meeks Nice to meat you! 310 Sammy Meeks 0 5

Emery

May 31, 2015 8:13 PM

I regret everything. by Emery

The reaction Emery’s body had over just a simple pat on the back was insulting. He felt his face heat up and knew that he was blushing. He was honestly grateful that he was coughing because the red could be covered by that excuse and not merely because the girl who has been his friend for a couple of terms now and his crush for just as long was making sure he wasn’t going to die from his dinner.

After he had stopped coughing long enough to take a sip of water, Ava playfully reminded him that she hadn’t wanted to talk about kissing, but Emery didn’t believe that at all. Chloe was always going on about something or other with boys whenever they were together (mostly about Malcolm and Emery had no idea why), so Emery knew girls liked to discuss that sort of stuff, he just wasn’t sure why Ava was with him. What cold cruel God is this?

To make matters worse, Ava began to actually talk about her kissing experience to him. Emery wanted to cover his ears and run from the Hall singing the school song just to block her out and be done with this whole conversation, but he knew that wasn’t really an option without looking like a total crazy person in front of the entire student body (and there would go his hope of Head Boy entirely).

Unfortunately for him, the conversation kept going (at least she hadn’t liked the person who she kissed - whatever that meant). Her question was another one that he was not expecting, but thankfully he hadn’t just put any food into his mouth. Knowing that his face was probably going to a deeper shade of red, Emery answered, “Psh, of course I have.” He lied, trying to sound like it was no big deal. He had no idea why he lied, what difference would it have made? Except that he didn’t want her to think less of him if girls didn’t seem interested in him to begin with.

“No, he definitely hasn’t.” Emery commented, feeling this was safe territory. “I think the world would have shook in triumph if he had.” He joked. “I… don’t think Chloe has.” Honestly, this wasn’t really something he thought Chloe would have confided in him with. “I don’t think so though. She doesn’t like the guys back home and I haven’t seen her with anyone here.”

Emery just stared at Ava when she suddenly started randomly saying the word ‘kissing’, despite himself, he found himself watching her mouth as she said it, jealous that someone else had touched them first. “Er...yeah, sure, interesting…” Emery commented, trying to figure out what just happened, but happy that he was no longer blushing.

Emery sighed at the mention of summer. “It was a strange summer. Stuff with Chloe and her biological mother happened that caused some issues and Angel was pretty sick so we couldn’t really go anywhere. It was just a really long but not long enough summer.” Emery said. “How was your summer?”

6 Emery I regret everything. 0 Emery 0 5

Jake Manger

May 31, 2015 8:34 PM

PUBERTY MONSTER by Jake Manger

A funny thing happened to Jake when he arrived at Sonora. His bright blue eyes had wandered typically across the field of peers that stood before him, hopping between the ground and people’s faces and the parts of them that occupied the space in the middle. Jake wasn’t sure he had ever really paid much attention the parts in the middle, maybe because it had never occurred to him or maybe because, for his yearmates at least, there hadn’t been much of interest in that region. But now he was looking, and he noticed something weird: girls had these curves in the middle, and for some odd reason, he liked them.

Puberty, you damned scoundrel! He thought bitterly. Jake didn’t want to be the guy who was always staring at the middle parts. That was creepy and not cool, but something in his head--a voice he had never invited, thank you very much--kept asking him to, demanding a sight that, through loose robes, was hardly even a sight. So why did he want to look?

The Teppenpaw decided it would just be best to keep his eyes to himself to avoid making anybody uncomfortable. As soon as he was seated at the appropriate table, he glued his eyes to his lap, not looking up for the Sorting, for the Headmaster’s speech, or even the song. He utilized his peripheral sight to direct food to his plate and was careful to guide his filled silverware to his mouth with limited glances upward. He just wanted to go to his room and be alone until this stupid feeling went away. For that reason, the typically chattery, happy, friendly fourth year looked exclusively downward and simply prayed no one would speak to him.

Of course, his luck obviously could not be that good. He only half-heard what was said to him, but he was fairly confident it was an inquiry into his condition. “Oh, yeah, I’m good,” he answered without looking up. “I just, uh, did something to my neck. It feels better if I keep my head down like this. I’m sure I’ll sleep it off and feel fine tomorrow morning. Thanks though.” Jake wasn’t an accustomed liar and had no idea if he was convincing at all, but Merlin did he hope he was.

12 Jake Manger PUBERTY MONSTER 280 Jake Manger 0 5

Ava

May 31, 2015 9:22 PM

I regret...nothing? by Ava

“You…you have?” Ava wasn’t sure if she was disappointed or excited and she also didn’t know which one came across more in her voice. She decided that she didn’t really care what Emery thought she thought because she was going to get some answers. “Well, then…would a boy kiss a girl if he didn’t like her? Like at all?” She tilted her head as she frowned in thought. “And does it seem possible that such a thing might be done as a sort of joke or some way of getting back at her for something she might have done?”

An incident involving rather a lot of cream-of-wheat entered her head all of a sudden and Ava worried that she might have caused the indiscretion via her breakfast incident which had really just been a response to Demetre’s obnoxious behavior. “Because if so that’s totally lame.” She didn’t want to be a revenge kiss. But mostly because she hadn’t wanted to be kissed at all.

“I think you’re right there,” she joked back. “He’s too stuck inside his own head to ever do it though, I think.” Talking about their friend’s affections towards a certain Crotalus seemed rather fun conversation and Ava smiled, feeling somewhat relieved to have moved on from her own kissing incident. She was glad, however, to hear that while Emery had kissed someone, Chloe hadn’t and she was sure it showed on her face. “That’s good,” she said after Emery finished telling about Chloe and the lack of boys she’d been around. “Boys are stupid, anyhow, present company excluded of course.”

“Oh,” she said nodding as Emery brought up Chloe and her mother and then asked her about her summer. “Right. My summer.” She began to shred her bread into very small pieces, suddenly not hungry anymore. She gave off a very unnatural sounding laugh, short and fake, and stopped herself, blushing. “That, that was a thing, yes, I had a summer.” She nodded matter-of-factly. “Yes, indeed, I had a summer.” When she ran out of bread, she moved on to her napkin.

“I saw Demetre, he came. Not Sonora Demetre, George’s Demetre, you know, that nasty brat I’ve told you about?” She had given Emery detailed account of her encounters with the devil-boy several times including the time he had pasted clubbed baby seal photos to her room door. “That was an awful visit, as expected. And I got a birthday card from Charlotte, so that was nice, I suppose.” If Ava noticed the shift in calling her mom “my mother” to “Charlotte,” she didn’t show it, and instead bit her lip, trying to figure out a way to switch subjects.

“Speaking of, since Emrys hasn’t kissed his Charlotte yet, why don’t you tell me about yours?” She was almost afraid to hear the answer, but somehow felt that the more upset she was about whatever it was Emery had done with whoever it was, it would keep her mind off whatever it was her mother was doing where ever she was with whomever she was with as well as whoever it was that Chloe might or might not have been kissing if she was into that sort of thing which she really hoped she wasn’t. Ava was fully aware her mind was a very muddled place at the moment but so long as someone was around to keep talking she didn’t think she minded so much.

10 Ava I regret...nothing? 0 Ava 0 5

Ginger Pierce

May 31, 2015 9:54 PM

Does being twelve make me better company? by Ginger Pierce

Ginger wandered into the Cascade Hall after spending the first years' Orientation hours catching up and decorating with her roommates. She had, by no means, entirely exhausted the conversational possiblities with her two female yearmates, she nonetheless bid them farewell as she headed off to find a seat for the feast. There were plenty of other people in her House she wanted to reconnect with after the summer away, and she didn't want to totally monopolize Jemima and Lauren's time anyway. She assumed, since they were Teppenpaws, they both had other friends besides her they wanted to meet up with as well.

So as she looked to see who was about who wasn't already sitting with people, she saw her Quidditch teammate Jake looking pretty miserable. She was currently wearing the yellow ribbon he'd given her for Christmas last year as a way to add some color to her otherwise fairly boring brown hair and show House spirit for the Opening Feast, so she plopped down across from him with a cheerful grin that he did not look up to see. She pouted a little at this blatant ignoring of her, but he didn't see that either, and anyway, the first years were arriving with Mr. Xavier anyway, and she got distracted for a little while as they got sorted, the Headmaster named Prefects and Heads, and the school song got sung (Ginger joined in enthusiastically with decent pitch that wouldn't embarrass any of her more musically inclined family members but also would not earn her a place in any of their bands).

"Are you okay?" she asked worriedly when Jake still didn't look up to acknowledge her presence. This, from what she knew of him during Quidditch practice, was atypical behavior and now she was concerned he might be feeling ill.

He still didn't look up, but at least he responded, though not very believably. She wasn't a super good lie detector, but she could recognize bad acting and this was bad acting. Still, she decided she'd give him an out and pretend to believe him. "Do you need some muscle relaxant potion? I've got some in my trunk if you'd think it would help your neck." Ginger, on the other hand, was quite a good actress when she tried to be (or she liked to think so anyway and her production manager hadn't said otherwise when she'd gotten a bit part as a messenger in the Faire's Shakespeare play over the summer), so she put on concern and sympathy, and hoped he felt bad (but just a little bad because she didn't want him to feel very bad) for lying to her.

She took a deep breath, her flat, skinny, barely-twelve year old chest expanding slightly with the greater air volume for a moment before she let it out, and pointed to the mashed potatoes, hoping to force him to look at her, "Could you pass those over? I can't quite reach." It was harder to lie if you were looking at a person, after all. And that wasn't a lie on her part either. She was still pretty tiny and her arm-span would need a few more years to grow yet before she could really hope to be a formidable Keeper.

1 Ginger Pierce Does being twelve make me better company? 302 Ginger Pierce 0 5