Modern Magic

Arrival

After Rio's 12 hour flight, she was feeling very cramped on the plane. The sky had gone from a deep purple-pink of sunset, to the light oranges and yellows of a sunrise. Over the intercom, the pilot said they would be landing in a few minutes, and buckle seat-belts for safety.

Rio's buckle was already in, so she looked at the people she'd been sitting next to; a young woman with yellow-blond hair, and an older looking man with red hair. The man was reading a novel, while the woman was putting her headphones away in her carry-on. 

After about 4 minutes, the plane started to descend into Duluth Airport in Minnesota. Her school was in Wales, about a 1 hour drive away in the best conditions possible. It was technically Saturday, August 5th in Minnesota, but Rio wasn't used to the jet lag at all, so it felt like Sunday to her.

After getting off the plane, Rio went to baggage claim, where she found her two bags. Her bags were neon purple, so they were relatively easy to spot in the abundance of brown or black bags.

She slung her carry-on over her shoulder- it was a duffel bag- and rolled her bags behind her. She was told to meet outside at the blue area, where her cousin, Taguchi Habashi, would pick her up. He was 25, having been born in America after his dad- Rio's uncle- moved here and fell in love. They named their son with a Japanese name to hold the tradition.

Rio waited in the blue area, sitting on a bench, and checked her phone, noticing that the time had changed. It was about 6 in the evening when Rio's plane took off, but it was about 7 in the morning right now.

After a few more minutes, a car pulled up, and out stepped Taguchi... from the passenger side? Rio was slightly confused, but then remembered everything was flipped in America. The passenger seat was the driver seat here, and you greeted one another by first name, not by last.

"Rio! How are you?" Taguchi had an American accent, which was honestly kind of plain to Rio.

She took a few seconds to translate what he had said, then she responded, "Well. And you?"

Taguchi replied happily, "I'm good, come on, let's get going."

Rio stepped into the car, feeling weird sitting on the driver side to her. Taguchi got in and slammed his door shut, starting the car and pulling out onto the road. Rio was tired from jet lag, and fell asleep with her head on the window.

When she woke back up, the car had been stopped, and Taguchi was gently shaking her awake. "Hey, Rio, we're here, get up," He was quietly whispering in her ear.

She opened her eyes, looking at the giant building they were next to. It was the school, and she was almost instantly awake. 

After unbuckling and getting out, the two walked into the main doors, seeing a few kids Rio's age, and a receptionist. "Hello, welcome to the International Academy of Magic Users, what's your name?" The receptionist was a nice looking lady, with a calm voice and a warm smile.

"This is Rio Habashi, she's a Japanese transfer." Taguchi explained the information, and the receptionist looked Rio's name up, finding her.

"Alright, you are in girl's dorm room 2-6. Go out these doors and take a right, there's a big sign that says 'Girls'." The receptionist gave them a mini map, with the path they'd take marked with red pen.

Taguchi helped Rio find the building, but didn't go in, "Your room is on the second floor, the 6th down the hallway."

Rio hugged Taguchi, thanking him and heading inside. The first thing she noticed were the two grand staircases to the left and right. Both headed to the same place, and were decorated with ribbons and bows. A big sign hung in between them, saying "Welcome Freshmen!" in blue, swirling letters. A giant chandelier hung from the ceiling, giving off yellow light.

There were hallways to the left and right, and a doorway underneath the stairs. The hallways were dorm rooms, and the doorway led to a library, kitchen, eating area, and recreational room, all of which were decorated with blue and purple ribbons.

Rio walked up the stairs, getting each suitcase up one at a time, and looked down each hallway. One hallway had even numbers, the other had odd numbers, all ranging from 1 to 10. Rio went down the even hallway, and, finding room six, opened the door. Inside were two big, fancy beds, one having been made already with sky blue sheets.

A girl was getting clothes out of a suitcase when she noticed Rio. She set the clothes down, then walked up, "Hello! I'm Maria Aguado, nice to meet you!" 

Maria had light blue hair with red eyes, but they didn't seem menacing. She wore a short, plaid skirt the color of pine trees and a pale yellow tank-top. Her shoes were a pair of flats, showing off painted toe-nails.

"I am Rio Habashi. Are we roommates?" Rio looked at the unclaimed bed, which was just a mattress, and walked over, rolling her suitcases next to the drawers. The bed was a different shape, being an oval cut in half. There was a canopy over top, draping down only about a foot. Rio put her hand on the bed, and felt that it was very soft, and must be comfy.

"There are bed-sheets over there since oval beds aren't common. They come in plenty of colors, so choose your favorite." Maria pointed to a small pile next to the window, which had a small seat in front. Rio walked over, and, finding a lilac purple one, started to put it over the bed. An extra blanket was with the bed supplies, and Rio picked it up, draping that over the bed as well. 

After a few minutes, her bed had been made, with three pillows, all dark blue, a black blanket, and a lilac bed sheet. She unpacked her clothes, putting them in the drawers next to her bed neatly.

When everything was unpacked, Rio shoved the suitcases under the bed, and wiped her hands off. 

"So, Rio, where did you come from?" Maria was sitting in the window seat, facing Rio.

"I come from Japan. Tokyo, actually." Rio sat down next to Maria, looking at her pretty hair.

"Ooh! Can you speak Japanese?" 

Rio nodded, saying a few phrases and explaining what they meant to Maria. 

Turned out, Maria was from Spain, and had an Aparide of 4, being best at Water, Wind, Fire, and Dark.

"How many Aparides do you have, Rio?" Maria looked at Rio with patient eyes, waiting.

"I have 6 or 7 if I am correct." She smiled at Maria, who was a little surprised.

"Wow! That's amazing, what are you best at?"

"I am good at Fire, Light, Water, Dark, Ice, Life, and Lightning."

The two spoke for a while, and when it was time for lunch, the two went together, already good friends.