Now, the neighbors living next to and around the Blacks' would tell anyone that the two were a normal family with their good and bad days. Truth was that Alice was a shape-shifter, a person who had the ability to take any apperance that he or she wished and had been preparing to go back to Clarissa Institute for another year of learning how to control her powers. Last year had been an horrifying experience that never left Alice fully. The ordeal of fighting against Remus, a powerful Wizard, and just finding out about her godfather was something that might be buried in her for several more years. The shape-shifter continued to keep in touch with Kaleb, Kanni, and Premidas since the end of school but none of them had met since then.
The weather was something that Alice had paid particular and carefull attention, wondering if the smoke and vapor from Gabriel's potion brewing had finally reached the skies to cause some of this weather. He was excited about being able to teach without being hidden, even though he denied it all whenever Alice had asked him. She, on the other hand, was proud to admit that she missed the school terribly. This year would be something special and Alice felt it in her shaking bones filled with excitement to see her friends again. During the summer Themrus had stayed and gone to inform Alice of Kaleb and Premidas, and other several details of what Clarissa had in store for them this year. Abigalle had apparently retired back to the cold climates, recieving a heat stroke during a confrence among the staff had brought the decision of leaving.
The Jeep continued to hum while the engine warmed the entire car for the ride in the snow. It was unusual for the weather of winter to come so early and made Alice wonder about snow days during school, if it had ever happened. The shape-shifter brushed her white hair out of her face to cover the wierd combanation of eye colors she had with a blue tinted pair of glasses before climbing into the front seat behind the steering wheel. The weather might had caused the ice flakes on the window but Alice wouldn't step out of the car for it and instead let the ice melt away slowly while awaiting Gabriel to lock the house and get into the Jeep with her.
Life of a Salesman was playing on the radio that played loudly in the car, making Alice repeat the habit of druming her fingers on the steering wheel. There were several reports of hail and some sun between the song, explaining that this strange weather might end soon. It made the shape-shifter think back to her ordeal last year and wondered if this had anything to do with it or if this was just some abnormal fad of the weather. The radio had just then switched to Breaking the Habit, giving some new beat to the humming car as Alice watched Gabriel step out of the house, locking the front door before jogging over to the Jeep and climbed into the passenger seat. He was slightly nervous about returning to the school.
And he shouldn't have been since Gabriel had taught the rest of the year for Brewing since Brige had retired, or so Themrus and Ulthar had told everyone. The man brushed his black hair, which he had grown longer before closing the door. He was then skimming notes labeled with Animagus, which was someone who could only shift into one animal. Like Gabriel could only shift into a large white dog, something similar to what Alice shifted into mostly. He threw his bag into the back seats asking, "Excited about school starting again?"
"I think after visiting Spain and all sorts it'll be nice to settle in one place close to home. Can you hand me the coffee? It's freezing today." Alice tightened the scarf around her neck before backing the Jeep out of the driveway and onto the seat to make their way to the school. She was very touchy of the lights that were fogged due to the coldness, wheeling through the red lights which weren't patrolled by any police cars or anything. The shape-shifter considered herself at a proffessional of running red lights seeing how this was a new habit of hers that Gabriel wanted to correct before school.
"I heard Clarissa is to give the students some new privledges this year such as trips out into the city every now and then," sniffled Gabriel, drinking from his mug before switching the radio to a weather report. "But not anymore maybe because of this damned weather we've been getting all month."
"What joy." The shape-shifter wasn't paying attention to her godfather in the seat beside her but rather the directions in her head to the school. Cars and buses were now carrying students to school, whether it was Clarissa Institute or another. The wheel moved smoothly under her hands, her nails now decorated with small diamond snow flakes to look nice for the first day of school. Alice wore a white peacoat, dark denim jeans, and a warm thin-strap shirt today. She wanted to enjoy her first day back and see her friends once again. Hopefully she wouldn't have to be reminded of the ordeal last year.
The white strands were blown of Alice's face, directing the car onto another street where the school could be seen, growing closer and closer to them. It felt like a savior to Alice, and a great pleasure to have this abnormal power most found to be wierd and disgusting. Next to her Gabriel was sitting up to examine the school, his face cracking into a grin directed at his godchild who blew one more strand out of her face before slowing the Jeep down. Several students could be recognized by Alice while some could be recognized as new students who would soon be sorted into their houses. Mrs. Taint could be seen at the gate talking to parents as their children walked about talking to other students.
"Here we are." Alice had parked the Jeep inside of the iron gates along with others, and hadn't seen Kanni or the two boys yet. Staff were already unloading the trunk of luggage and charmed the bags to walk inside the building to Alice's room while some walked to Gabriel's classroom. Many students were walking around the courtyard, trying to get to know another student before the sorting started, something that the shape-shifter was looking forward to for once. Brad could be seen talking to a group of his own friends, showing off some Ipod as Issac could be seen flirting with girls. Alice blew another strand of her white hair from her face, chuckling, "Always with the ladies first and then school later."
"Did you say something?" asked Gabriel, looking at her from the front of the car before walking over to her and saying, "I've got to go and find Clarissa before the sorting starts. You stay here and get organized, alright?"
The man was now walking into the school, being tailed by Themrus who waved his hands in a friendly manner. For a reason the staff had seemed more prepared this year than last year, perhaps the reason was because of Remus's great return. The shape-shifter looked around before entering the school after Brad and his group of friends, listening to his ranting of how he would complete this year. Several of his friends looked back at Alice repeatidly, their eyes wide with excitement that followed Alice until she took a turn in the corridor to the food court wanting to eat something before the sorting.
But before the shape-shifter even walked through the food court doors she could already hear people chatting behind it, hearing her name in several sentences. This was her treatment from last year from the ordeal and people were beginning to wonder if anything like it would happen again. Perhaps not with the secret plans Clarissa had for them all, but it all meant the same to Alice who would rather die than go through anything like it once more. People behind the doors wanted to see themselves as heroes and in their places rather than anyone else. Alice didn't actually care for what the person wanted, she just wanted never to be near anything like what had happened before. For several weeks after school ended she felt contaminated to find out that other adults who were gifted had known of the great return of Remus, soon wanting Alice's opinon on it all.
Whether Alice wanted to believe it herself or not, it was bizaar for some girl to be heard by her on the other side of the door stand up on what sounded to be a table and yell out a charm, directed at the doors which flew off of their hinges as Alice stood where she had been. Students yelped and moved higher on the chairs away from the door while older students leaned in to ask the shape-shifter some questions. The girl was looking down at the doors with tears, hearing Alice dismissing herself saying, "I did nothing to those doors!"
Then she had left the food court to walk down several corridors with her hands now in her coat sleeves, feeling slightly colder since the windows had been left open. The scarf around Alice's neck didn't seem to help much unlike her coat. Statues wailed for some sort of mink or coat, their structure cakes in frost. Weather this year was strange and filled with hail, snow, droughts and anything else that wasn't normally here. Maybe Alice had been right that Gabriel's brewing had effected the skies above them all or if it just was a fad of the weather. Several students who walked passed Alice where nearly covered in cloaks, their teeth chattering as words came out about some of their classes. The students where eager to get sorted apparently, hearing that Clarissa had some surprise for them all.
Finally, after having to walk around nearly the entire school Alice hadn't even found Kaleb, Premidas or even Kanni. She soon decided to try outside in the courtyard again and find Clarissa to be welcomed by the woman once more. Students were too walking outside to say good-bye to their parents before one year of entire school actually started. The shape-shifter had followed them all out, surprised to find Brad tailing her as if he expected her to find Kanni. Outside was crowded with kids who were watching their parents drive out of the iron gates as some drove in. Clarissa was indeed standing by the gate with Ulthar discussing matters with parents in a proffessional manner unlike how the parents were demanding for some explanation to some odd question. The shape-shifter felt much better to see Clarissa once more but was still looking for Kaleb, wondering if he was in his own room. A small group of girls shoved past Alice with their luggage who were apparently pack rats and daughters of a group of wealthy families.
"Verae." The word made Alice coil her hands into fists to find a girl who walked past her carry a grin. This would be her treatment for last year so Alice might as well get used to it. It took several more minutes for Alice to walk back into the school, wandering around for Kaleb once more and wondered where he had gotten to. It wasn't like him to just wander off for so long. But the shape-shifter had been wrong about where Kaleb was, finding him standing by the window, looking up at the cieling. The green tint on his face were now fading away as the green in his brown hair stood out more, reminding Alice that she had done that herself. His eyes lured over to where Alice stood and with saracasim said with a toothy grin, "And after ten times of walking around here I was wondering when you'd find me."
There had been no words, seeing how the shape-shifter ran up to Kaleb embracing him to be lifted several inches off of the marble floor by him to hear, "And look what you've done your hair! No longer the same red-head as last year that has nearly conquered her classes?"
"You dumbass, you're seriously a dumbass for not coming over to visit when we weren't in Rome or Spain. Gabriel had a sudden lust for traveling since he couldn't before seeing how he's been wanted by the authorities," said Alice, as Kaleb brushed the hair out of her face with his small amount of powers. "The coloring of the hair was my sudden lust just like getting my drivers' license!"
"We heard about the license from the portraits hanging in the school which always pick up some sort of gossip from somewhere. We've also have a new teacher, Ms. Venglik, who'll be teaching us fortune telling and everything in that department. Then there is also Mr. Gerritson and he'll be teaching us Cureology, the study of curing magic and everything like that," said Kaleb, looking at the students walking by and then to Alice. "Premidas has been eager if anything to see you and especially Kanni once more. He's been storming through here demanding that if Kanni wants to show up she'd better do it properly."
"Got off at the wrong side of the bed I gather?" asked Alice, loosening the scarf around her neck and felt a warmer draft. "And I haven't seen Kanni either so you can't really blame Premidas about that one..."
"Come on and let's go find Premidas or Kanni ourselves so we can get seats together at the sorting. It's been havic here since this morning." Kaleb locked his arm with Alice and the two walked down the corridor. Too much here reminded her of the ordeal, of the way that she felt contimated whenever she looked at herself from a mirror. Maybe this year nothing of the sort would happen again. Maybe this year everything would go as planned by Clarissa with no surprises that she didn't know herself.
