September Free Fiction: Faerie School Collection: Found (Part 1): 1554 words
Very few humans ever found an entrance to the fae school. When they did it was seen as a great achievement and they were automatically accepted for training. Some of the older fae didn't think that any human should ever be accepted into the fae school so they did all they could to make sure that all the entrances stayed hidden. It didn't always work. Occasionally the increased protection actually helped a human find an entrance. Tamara was one of those humans.
There hadn't been a new human arrival at the school for five years when she found an entrance. At first she thought she was seeing things when she walked past a glittering bush. It was a bush she had walked past before but she had never noticed it glitter before. Poking it gently led to her sticking her hand through it as though it wasn't there. She'd never stuck her hand through a bush before so she thought it would be worth investigating. The possibility that it was an entrance to the fae school hadn't even crossed her mind. Most people didn't even think the human entrances existed.
A bell sounded. To her it sounded like one of those bells some shops had above the door to let the shopkeeper know that someone had walked in. From where she stood she could see a building that she had seen before in pictures. It was obvious then where she was. Leaving did cross her mind. Everyone had heard horror stories about what it was like to be a human at the fae school, but she wasn't someone who gave up something without even trying.
Seconds later she was surrounded by faeries. Most were smiling, or at least managing to fake a smile, but some were staring at her like she was something that the cat had dragged in. Probably a dead mouse or frog. They were the ones she knew she would have to watch out for because they didn't want her there. Raising an eyebrow she smiled back, amazed at how many had come to have a look at her just because she was the latest human to find an entrance. She realised that finding one made her special even though she never wanted to be special.
“Everyone go back to class,” a voice said from the back of the large group. “You'll all be able to meet the new girl later.” When they scattered an older female faery stepped towards her. “It's nice to meet you...”
“Tamara.”
“I'm Petunia, the head of the Human Student's Department.” She held her out her hand and Tamara shook it, surprised at how human the action was but she guessed that Petunia liked her human students to feel comfortable. “Please follow me.”
Tamara looked around her as she followed Petunia through the grounds of the school and then into the school itself. Magic glittered all around her. She hoped that she would be taught how to not see magic because the glitter was off-putting. It was a relief when she found herself stood in an office that was devoid of any glitter. Petunia closed the door once she was in the room before going to sit behind a desk that was exactly like the one Tamara's Head of Year had used.
“Sit down Tamara.” Tamara sat on the opposite side of the desk. “For the duration of your time here I will be helping you to create a well rounded curriculum. How old are you?”
“Nineteen.”
Petunia nodded, writing something down on a piece of paper in front of her. “That means that you have completed all compulsory human schooling?”
“Yes I have.”
“We will need a transcript of your grades as soon as possible. If you have less than a C grade in any of the three core subjects you will need to retake the exams.”
“I've got higher than a grade C in all three.”
“That's great. Our students usually are proficient in all three core subjects but it's always best to check.” She looked at Tamara. “For your first three years here you have to live on campus. That's mandatory for all students. If this is going to be a problem then let me know now and we won't go any further.”
“It's not a problem.” Her parents would be glad to have her out of the house. “Will I be able to go home and collect some clothing?”
“I'll take you when we're done here and explain everything to your parents.” Petunia smiled at her. “At the end of the three years you may choose to go home every night or stay in the dorms. Most of the fae choose to go home but the human students often stay. Life is very different for humans who have learnt how to use fae magic. Graduation will vary for each student. Some stay here for the minimum six years while others stay on for longer. It often depends on what major they choose and whether they choose any minors.” She opened one of the drawers on her desk and took out a large booklet which she passed to Tamara. “This will tell you all you need to know about choosing your major and minors. You can take up to three minors. Most human students take one but there have been those who have taken none and a few have taken more.” Petunia then took out another book, this one was wire-bound and reminded Tamara of her old school's planner. “This is for you to write down your classes and your homework. Your classes will begin next Monday after we have decided on what they will be. Actually you're really lucky with timing. It's induction week so you won't miss any class time.” Petunia looked down at whatever it was she had been writing on. “Actually you will have to take one class this week. How do you see fae magic?”
“It glitters.”
“That must be pretty. Friday you'll need to go to the magic class and learn how to not see fae magic. River will be able to tell you whether he believes you'll be any good at fae magic or not. Some humans are better than others. When we know your ability we can decide what direction it would be best for you to go here.” She looked at Tamara. “There are several majors that magically strong humans have preferred and there are several majors that magically weak humans have preferred. You don't have to follow in their footsteps but it does give us a starting point.” Smiling Petunia drew a line on the paper. “I can still remember when finding lessons that humans enjoyed and were capable of doing was a guessing game. Things are much easier now.”
“Will I meet any other humans?”
“If you want I can set up a meeting with the others who are here. Three are a year away from graduating but the rest will be here for another few years. We haven't had a new arrival for a while so there's no one here who is starting out like you.”
Tamara nodded. “I'll think about it. It seems slightly pointless really.”
“You will make friends with most of the fae. The older fae who think that humans shouldn't be allowed here don't have so much power over the younger fae any more. If you do meet someone who agrees with them you'll usually find that they're related in some way.” Petunia looked back down at the paper in front of her and wrote something more down. “I'll put you into dorm four for now. There are six beds in each dorm so you'll be sharing with five fae. If you have any problems then come to me and I'll move you. I don't think you will have but you never know.” She looked at Tamara. “Breakfast is served between five and seven am. Morning classes start at half past seven. Lunch is at one pm. Afternoon classes start at two and then finish at half past five. Dinner is from six until eight. If you want anything to eat outside of meals we do have a shop.” Petunia passed the paper she had been writing on to Tamara. “Make sure that you understand everything that I've told you before signing the bottom of the paper.”
Tamara read through the paper before picking up a pen and signing it. It was just a list of everything that Petunia was meant to tell her during her induction meeting with a few extra notes that had been written on. She had been worried it might be some sort of legally binding contract but she felt safe signing it. Her grandfather had always told her not to sign a contract without him around because he was a retired lawyer.
“Thank you Tamara.” Petunia looked over at the clock “If we leave now we should be back in time for dinner.”
Petunia stood up first. Tamara picked up the booklet and planner she had been given before standing. Together they walked to the front entrance of the school. It wasn't long before she felt totally confused because of the glitter that surrounded her so she didn't pay much attention to where she was going until they were outside the school.
© K A Jones 2011

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