The Girl with an Owl

Chapter 17

When Ajana woke up the next morning, it took some time for her to figure out where she was.

It seemed like heaven, so for a short, terrifying second, Ajana thought that she had died and gone to heaven, but then she remembered where she was. She was alive and awake although she was in the land of her dreams, in the enchanting place where anything was possible. That brought a smile to her face.

Looking through the window at the colorful butterfly flying from one flower to the next made her smile even broader.

It was so peaceful and charming that she couldn't help but feel content for being privileged enough to enjoy that view.

She wasn't sure if things in her own world were so gray, or she simply wasn't able to enjoy their beauty. Still, she promised herself that she would enjoy every second of the new, exciting world she found herself in.

As she stretched lazily, enjoying the soft wind coming from her open window, her little peaceful bubble was burst by a loud banging on her door.

"WAKE UP! IT'S TIME TO GET READY FOR SCHOOL!" the little voice screamed in front of her door.

The chipper voice obviously belonged to Walnut, and Ajana was pretty sure that it would become his morning routine to come and wake her up for school.

"I am coming!" she answered.

That was when Rex woke up as well and started flying around the room, investigating all its nooks and crannies. It seemed to Ajana as if he forgot to do that the previous night, and he wanted to make up for it.

Since she wasn't ready to deal with hyperactive Rex sleepy as she was, she said to Walnut: "Do you have time to take Rex out for a walk while I get ready?"

"YESSS," screamed the little devil.

"Come, Rex, be a good boy and go for a walk with Walnut while I get ready," she said, stroking Rex's pages.

Rex let out a fluttering sound that reminded Ajana of a whine.

"It's okay, I will be out soon. Remember, you like Walnut," she said as she opened the door.

The moment she opened the door, Rex flew out in a flurry of pages and straight into Walnut. They both toppled to the ground, and both seemed thrilled by the prospect.

"Okay, I guess that's a yes. You two have fun!" Ajana said as she closed the door and started getting ready for the day ahead.

As she was brushing her teeth, she started worrying about her first day of school. She knew nothing about their rules or customs, even the basic things were a mystery to her.

For example, did the magical beings brush their teeth? If they did, did they use a toothbrush or a more magical way?

Was the school similar to the school she went to? Did they have classrooms, or did they just stand around or fly around?

All those questions made her feel even more nervous than she was. The peaceful feeling she had moments before, disappeared by the time she went downstairs for breakfast.

"There you are, my dear," Cassie said the moment Ajana entered the kitchen.

"I made blueberry pancakes for breakfast. I hope that is okay?" Cassie asked.

It was more than okay. The truth was that the blueberry pancakes were Ajana's most favorite food in the world, and they always made her feel better if she was feeling under the weather.

"That is amazing, thank you so much," Ajana said as she sat down next to Nectarine, thinking that the shy little girl was a much better choice than Walnut.

"Did you sleep well?" Zephyr asked, making small talk, to help Ajana relax.

"Best sleep I ever had. I don't think I've ever had more beautiful dreams than I did last night," she said.

"Yes, that is how it is in Mag, no bad dreams for us," Cassie said, sounding very proud of the fact.

Ajana wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing, since she had read somewhere that dreams were our way to solve problems and internal conflicts. She read that the bad ones could be as useful as good ones, but she didn't say anything. She didn't want to sound like a know-it-all since that had caused her problems in the past.

In her previous school, she was the class nerd, and she didn't want her second chance to make a different impression on people around her to be ruined. This time around, she decided that she would present herself as an average student and not excel in anything.

In the past, being a straight A student only got her into more trouble than she was ready to deal with.

Her classmates thought of her as a bookworm who couldn't enjoy the simple pleasures of life. They were probably right since she spent most of her time with her head buried in books, she simply devoured them. However, she didn't think it was fair that everyone tried to take advantage of her smarts without ever saying even a simple thank you.

They would always tell her she 'had to help them' like saying 'no' was an impossibility. Unfortunately for her, she was also UNABLE to deny them help.

It felt like it was her duty to help out whenever others asked for help. Even if they asked her to help them with something they could have done on their own, which was quite often.

In the new school, she decided to turn a new leaf. It was her plan to present herself as a strict person and even a bit overconfident because, with time, she realized that those were the people whose lives were better.

As she slowly ate her delicious breakfast, Ajana had the chance to polish her plan. The plan on how to accomplish the right amount of aloofness so that other people wouldn't bother her but not enough to drive everyone away.

"Thank you for the delicious breakfast," Ajana said to Cassie the moment she finished her pancakes.

"No need to thank me, my dear. Consider yourself as the honorary member of this family, and don't ever feel the need for formalities." Cassie said.

It made Ajana feel warm to know that she had a place in that cozy home of theirs.

Soon enough, it was time to go to school, and Ajana couldn't stop her hands from shaking.

"I'll show you the way to school," Walnut said as he grabbed Ajana's hand.

As if sensing Ajana's unrest, Rex flew down and settled on Ajana's shoulder, giving her the much-needed comfort.

It felt much better to have a friend on her shoulder as they went through the house door and off to a new adventure.

Challenging as it was to keep up with lively Walnut, she liked the fact that she didn't have to go all by herself.

The moment they arrived in front of the school, Ajana's mind became overflooded with so many things that she could do nothing but stare.

There were so many beings crowding the school gates. Some of them were familiar to Ajana from the fairy tales and other books she had read, but others she had never seen before.

It was only then that she realized that she was one of them, she was a witch. That fact was something that she kept ignoring since the moment she arrived at the magical land because it was more difficult to accept than anything else.

It was one thing to see all that magic and wonder but completely different to see yourself as a part of it. Her whole identity came into question.

Ajana wasn't the same person she was before she met Wallace. She wasn't sure how to reconcile that with who she thought she was. Did the fact that she was a witch change anything about who she was?

One question that troubled her the most was if she even knew who she was anymore.

Instead of answering any of those questions, she put all that in the back of her mind. She focused all her attention on enjoying the sight of diversity in front of her.

As she was standing there, fascinated, something suddenly crashed into her back, and she fell forward in a mess of legs and hoofs?