The Magic Academy

2015 Ch. 9

I sat on my bed, reading a book. I decided not to sit with Jay an Raidan, watching them play video games. Plus, Raidan and I still weren't "friends".
Kyle was alone in his room sulking. I (eventually) convinced Raidan that what happened wasn't his fault, but Kyle still felt guilty about the whole thing.
I laid the book open across my chest and stared at the ceiling.

"Kyle? What happened?"
Kyle just stared at the ground.
"Yo. Kyle. Dude!" Jay yelled.
"Sorry Julia," he mumbled.
I looked at him. He looked like a young child being scolded. "Come on, Kyle! I'm fine!" I stood up. I winced, and took a quick glance at my calf to see multiple little scratches running up the side. I must have rubbed it against the side the pool coming out. I hid it behind my other leg.
"Did something happen with your magic? Was something fighting it?" Summer asked.
"Actually, yah." Kyle said slowly, looking up. "It was like something was pushing against my magic."
No one spoke for a moment. Suddenly, I had an idea. "We'll have to investigate."
"What? We?" said Raidan.
"I've read all the Nancy Drew books, and I read the first Sherlock Holmes. I'm practically an expert on detective stuff." I ran over to my things, ignoring the pain in my left leg, and threw on my shorts. It wasn't the greatest feeling, with a soaking bathing suit on. I grabbed my stuff and ran back to the school.
"Don't worry, Kyle!" I'll figure it out!"

I showered, got dressed, and had been laying on my bed, re-reading The Hidden Staircase. I heard the others come in eventually, hearing the door open and close, Kyle's door open and close, and Super Smash Brothers turn on. I ignored it.
Before dinner, I realized I hadn't called home once since I got to school the day before. I quickly FaceTimed Owen. As my phone was ringing, I felt a pang of homesickness. With all the excitement, I hadn't really felt the empty space until now. There was a click, and Owen picked up.
"Julia! I thought you were dead!" Owen laughed. "How's life?"
"Oh, you know, it's a magic school. There's some life, there's some death-"
"What?"
"Um, things have just been really exciting lately, that's all." I laughed nervously. My first full day and I've already had a near-death experience.
"Hey Julia! I didn't know you talked I yourself! Could you stop?" I heard Raidan call. I groaned and shouted back, "Shut up, Raidan! I'm busy!"
"Do you want to talk to Mom?" my brother asked, ignoring my obvious fury.
"I can't. I've got to go to dinner. Tell her I'll call her after. See ya."
"See ya." He hung up.
I got up up and walked out of my room. I went to Kyle's door and started playing a beat on it. "C'mon, Kyle!We're going to dinner!"
"Once again, we?" said Raidan, giving me a look.
"I don't know about you, but all the excitement has made me pretty hungry. I headed for the door. "I'm not ordering for you," I offered, seeing that Jay had gotten up and gone to Kyle's door.
"We'll be there soon," he said, and with that, I was out the door.

Kyle had, if not reluctantly, come to dinner. He was silent the entire hour, and wouldn't meet my gaze. Kyle, Jay, Raidan, and I were walking back to our room when he finally spoke. "So, Julia. How are you going to investigate?"
I flashed him a smile. "Summer, Kara, and I planned everything out at dinner," I said. "First, we're going to discuss what happened and what we all saw. Then, we'll call in witnesses. After that, we pin down our suspects. We look at what magic someone could have used to mess with Kyle's, and-"
"Alright, we get it," Raidan groaned.
"Anyway," I said, ignoring the rude interruption, "we're going to figure out who did this. Then, we'll beat their ass."
"I'm all for that," said Raidan, suddenly very interested in the investigation. "No one pins a crime on Kyle without going through me, first!"
"You're the one who almost attacked him by the side of the pool!" cried Jay.
"Never mind," I said, opening the door to our dorm. "I've got to call my parents."
I went into my room and close the door. I propped my iPad up against the wall and laid on the floor, opening FaceTime and calling my mom.
She picked up almost immediately. "Julia! Why haven't you called yet? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Mom!" I laughed.
"Jake! Come talk to your sister!" my mom screamed, turning towards the den. "You already talked to Owen?"
"Yah. Sorry I didn't call sooner."
"So are you all settled? Do you have your own room?"
"Well, apparently I can use a really strong magic, and I share a dorm with others under that category. We all have separate rooms," I added quickly. "With doors."
"They're guys, aren't they?" I didn't answer.
My mom sighed. "If your father finds out-"
"If your father finds out what?" My dad walked into view.
"She's sharing a dorm with boys," my mom said, completely calm.
My dad didn't say anything for a minute. Maybe he wasn't going to blow up, like I originally thought. But then:
"Call Marie. She's coming home." Then he blew up. My mom hung up.
I sighed. My dad was really over-protective. He'd be the dad who watched his daughter walk to the limousine with her boyfriend on prom night with a bazooka.
Nevertheless, he was always looking out for me. He wouldn't be able to while I was here, and I think that's what hit him hardest. I wasn't on my own, but I didn't have my knight in shining armor, either.
Nevertheless, I had a feeling I would do just fine at this school. And I would.
I had no idea how many hurdles I'd have to jump to keep that status, though.