The Cursed Academy

Black Birds and Blackclaws

"I thought someone was going to take your bags?" Grandmother asked, trying to quickly change the subject. 

 "You know you are getting really good at avoiding questions, Grandmother?"  I said as I jogged around the corner of the Bird Sanctuary building to catch up with her as she walked toward the main building on campus

"I have the bags for you!" Robin said as we passed by him as he was sitting on the porch. He jumped up and grabbed the bags ...all of them ...at once …and started to follow us.

'He must be really strong'  I thought as I felt my cheeks starting to get hot again. 

"What are YOU still doing here?  I thought you left!" Grandmother snapped at Robin.

Robin smiled and said "Well, I do leave. But, it is at the end of the day.  With my Dad.  He is Vice Principal Blackclaw.  I am just working here for a couple of weeks before I go to school.  Follow me and I will lead you to his office."  Robin said, sprinting ahead and somehow managing to open the door for us and not dropping a single bag.

The main building was massive.  Huge exposed timbers framed the building, inside and out.  The entire front of the building was glass surrounded by stone and there was a beautiful atrium filled with more stone and beautiful flowering plants.  There were several smaller species of birds flying around and one swooped in front of use just as we walked through the front doors.  It was open all the way up to the third floor and spanned the entire front of the building other than the entrance.  It had a beautiful tiny chapel nestled in the middle that was surrounded by green plants and small blue and white flowers

"Oh Grandmother!  Look at all of the beautiful birds!  And finally some flowers!! " I looked around in amazement at the beauty of the place.  "What are these flowers, Grandmother?" I asked as my heightened werewolf senses were absolutely delighted with the delicate scents of the small blue and white flowers growing everywhere in the atrium.  The blue five pointed star with a white five teardrop petal flowers and a small bushy group of yellow stamens were growing out of every rocky crevice.  The sheer numbers of them saturated the air with their beautiful fragrance.

"Those are called Colorado Blue Columbine and they are our state flower."  he said, adding "We have a lot of them because the rabbits won't eat them, at all.  We can keep the rabbits and other rodents out of the atrium here but outside they eat all the flower tops and vegetable gardens.  It is like a buffet for them every springtime. " he shook his head and furrowed his brow as he immediately went deep into thought after the brief explanation. 

"What are those black birds with the white feathers on their wings?  They are so beautiful.  They look like they are dressed to go to a black and white ball." I asked Robin.  

Grandmother, again, steps in between us; her body language showing she was determined to keep us as far apart from each other as possible.

Not to be deterred by Grandmothers' antics, Robin explained "Those are called Lark Bunting.  They are the state bird of Colorado.  The black ones are males.  The ones that are mostly brown with white undersides and have the multi-colored brown feathers and a white patch on the wings?  Those are the females.  They normally live in the plains areas of the state but this is where we house our songbirds that we are rehabilitating." 

I was impressed by Robin.  He seemed pretty smart, too.  "Maybe you can tell me more later about the different birds?" I asked Robin.

"LET'S GO!" Grandmother freaked out and went haywire, grabbing my hand and dragging me toward the offices marked Administration.  "You can leave those bags right there."  she said in a dismissive voice.  I smiled and silently mouthed 'sorry' to Robin as he left us alone in front of his father's office door.  Grandmother knocked but did not wait for an answer before starting to turn the large brass handle to the office door. The marble plaque beside it had Vice Principal Blackclaw carefully chiseled into it.

'She is getting feisty in her old age and how did she get so strong??!'

"Who is there?" A deep voice bellowed from behind the door, making Grandmother jerk her hand back, as if the handle had been scalding hot to the touch.

"It is I, Clarissa  Swiftstone." she said in her most regal voice.

'CRINGE!! Ew!! Why did she always have to act so stuck-up at times?'

"Oh, and my granddaughter Sophia."  she added, almost as an afterthought.

"Come in." he replied and Grandmother, once again, turned the handle and finally pushed the large door open.  It was surprisingly light for how heavy it looked.  We walked into his office and I looked all around the room.  It was well lit and clean but filled with bookshelves and books.  Everywhere. Books, stacked on books, stacked on books.  Many of them opened.  Many of them with bookmarks sticking out of the top.  

'Someone has been doing a LOT of reading around here'.

I closed the door behind Grandmother and I and turned to see Vice Principal Blackclaw rising from behind his desk and extending his arm and motioning us to the two chairs directly in front of him on the other side of the desk.  "Ladies.  Please have a seat.  Clarissa.  Good to see you again.  You look absolutely amazing!" He smiled at Grandmother, who was obviously still upset about Robin because his compliment didn't even make her c***k a smile. It did not appear to bother him and he sat back down in his chair and continued. "Sophia.  I am pleased to finally have the opportunity to meet you in person.  I am Vice Principal Volk Blackclaw but most of the students, and hopefully you will, call me Coach Blackclaw. Your grandmother has told me many wonderful things about you." He extended his hand and I did the same and shook his hand.  " Have you met the Headmaster.  Mrs. Peony Hellewell, Sophia?" he asked.

"Yes sir.  I just met her." I nodded as I spoke. "She was feeding some... buzzards."  I fought the urge to gag as I remembered the gruesome scene.

"Ah yes.  Agatha and Clarice.  They are our latest rescues.  Don't worry, Sophia.  You will get used to the smell.  All students have daily chores here at the academy that are specifically related and extremely beneficial to the rescue and rehabilitation programs we run here.  Our advanced students are even allowed to do healing spells on broken wings, legs and beaks.  We don't advertise that part of our treatment, though." He said with a wink.

'What is it with the men in this family that they wink so much?  And why am I still thinking about Robin?'

Let's  get you settled in, why don't we?" he said with a familiar smile.  

'Robin has his dad's smile. UGH!  OK Brain!  Stop it! What is wrong with me?'

You and I can speak later, Sophia.  I would like for you to take the weekend to get settled in.  I have already reviewed your transcripts and records and your grandmother has completed all of your paperwork prior to your arrival.  The only question I have is..." He picked up a yellow paper and pretended to read it. I could tell he was trying to avoid  avoid eye contact so as to not appear too hopeful.  "Sports." he said  "Are you any good at them?" He peeked up from the paper without lifting his head to look at my face when I replied.

"Well, I love running and I am good at it."  Which is the truth.  Back home I used to train with the pack trainers and run daily with the rest of the wolves and other pack members."

His eyes lit up and he excitedly said "Cross country track it is!"  Meet me out front on Monday morning at seven before classes start to train.  We start immediately." 

'YES!  I was getting my wish to run through these beautiful forests!  Finally, something was going my way!' 

"OK Coach Blackclaw! I replied as I smiled from ear to ear.

All of a sudden his tone changed and he stopped joking around. "Now.  You know the stipulation I placed upon your being able to attend this school, correct?"  

I nodded as he continued. "You cannot disclose that you are a wolf/witch hybrid to anyone.  As far as anyone is concerned you are..."  He looked at the paper, for real this time. "Sophia Quinn Lilylight.  You are a scholarship student from Lisbon, Portugal.  You cannot disclose you are an Alpha. You cannot disclose that you have money.  You are here on an Academic Scholarship. You must maintain your false identity at all times.  You and I will discuss later some of the additional reasons behind the necessity for you to conceal your werewolf heritage. But, for now you must trust me that it is for your own safety that you do not reveal your secrets."

'My safety? What the...??'This place is getting stranger by the minute.'

I didn't have time to think about anything else before Coach Blackclaw stood up and asked us to follow him.

"It is time you meet your roommate."