.:PA Homework:. Day 1: Magic Control

    "Hi there! I'm Lumoka!"

    I flinched, and whirled around towards where the voice had come from. A peppy girl with long blonde hair wrapped in a long ponytail and bandages covering her eyes bounced up to me, smiling so brightly I nearly went blind.

    "G-Greetings…" I stumbled, trying to take in this new figure and hoping that she didn't know what I was up to.

    Looking worried, she reached out towards me with an open palm, still smiling. "Are you OK? I won't be too loud if it bugs you."

    I cocked my head a little bit. How did she know about my ligyrophobia? But that wasn't the issue here. The issue was that I was in an area I wasn't supposed to be and if I didn't come up with an excuse now, my chances of getting Brion back would be squashed. "I-I'm fine… But actually, m-my next class is Magic Control, and I don't know where anything is…" Not a lie, but not particularly the truth either.

    "Oh! Then I'll show you where it is so you won't be late. You only have a few minutes!" She exclaimed, gesturing down the hall.

    "Th-Thank you…" I felt a little awkward, what with my stuttering problem and the fact that I really didn't know where the heck I was. But the people at the Academy seemed nice enough. But father did always tell me that looks can be deceiving…

    "Here it is!" Lumoka grinned, finally leading me to a building in the courtyard with a roof checkered with purple and blue tiles, shaped like some sort of spout or vase. I couldn't really tell. "If you ever forget where it is again, just remember that it's the building with the odd roof!"

    "Odd roof…" I mumbled, committing the shape and color of it to memory. "All right. Th-Thank you so much!" I bowed out of habit, only later realizing that Lumoka probably didn't have the same customs where she came from. But she didn't seem to mind.

    "No problem! If you need help again, don't be afraid to ask. I'll always help if I can!" She smiled one of those lively grins one last time and left with a simple wave and a "See you around!"

    "Bye…" I waved back, a little half-heartedly. Waiting until she was out of sight, I stretched my wings and zoomed back to the restricted corridors where the teacher's lounge was.  I slipped on one of my old dress gloves as to not leave prints and jiggled the doorknob. Locked, but only with a few primitive enchantments and a key.

    I focused my energies on the demon inside me, causing my wings and tail to become larger and more… well, demonic. "Change." I whispered, completing the transformation. Glancing at my reflection in the brass doorknob, I could see the hideous blood-red color of my eyes and my hands had developed into full on claws. I knelt down and inserted a claw into the lock twisting and maneuvering it until it broke.

   "Perfect." I whispered gleefully and slinked into the lounge, spotting my sword Brion resting on a coffee table. Spotting no trap enchantments or curses, I retrieved it and slipped it into my cloak once more.

    "Very impressive, Mr. Keystone. You learned a lot from your father."

    I whirled around to see the triumphant face of Ms. Mitzaki and another young teacher with purple pigtails and freckles dotted all over her face.

    "What do you think, Ms. Aina Kira?" Ms. Mitzaki turned to the girl, who was bouncing up and down excitedly.

    "Oh, that was just AMAZING, Cheroth! Those enchantments, while simple, were enough to keep most intruders out, but then you changed and… Well, except for changelings, the Ogre form is very difficult to pull off, but you did it! I'd say you completed the homework excellently!"

    "Y-You mean…" I stared at them, dumbfounded. "… that this was all a TEST?!"

    "Why, of course." Ms. Mitzaki chuckled. "Really now, Cheroth, did you really think we'd actually restrict weapons at a school like this? I was just wondering if you'd take the chance to get the sword back yourself. When it turns out you didn't show up for Ms. Aina's class, I figured we'd place a few more spells to guard the way and watch it unfold. You passed, by the way."

    I could hardly believe what I was hearing.

    "Ooh, I can't wait to see you next time, Cheroth! It'll be so exciting! But I have to start grading my student's papers now, so I can't stay. Ta-ta!" Kira chirped and bounded out the lounge toward her odd classroom.

    "So, I can still bring Brion to class?" I wondered dumbly.

    "Sure thing. Though I am curious…" She looked at me a little funny. "… Why were you so insistent on not fighting with it?"

    "Because…" I whispered, stroking the hilt, thinking of what had transpired only a month ago. "It would make her sad if I used it for bloodshed…"

    "Her?" Ms. Mitzaki wondered. "Cheroth, I don't understand, who's-" But she was talking to a wall. I had already left to my final class of the day, leaving the teacher alone in the lounge.

    "Well, I'll be." She smiled. "Seems like our new student is quite the puzzle."