The Cursed Academy

These answers only make me have more questions!

As the car made it's way up the winding roadways of Swan Mountain, I couldn't help but look at the beautiful scenery and daydream while grandmother talked on and on about how much she loved her old alma mater and how much I was going to love it as well. 

'yeah right'

 The aspen trees lining  both sides of the freeway were absolutely amazing. ' I cannot wait until the leaves start turning.  I bet it is breathtaking! ' I could only hope that my wolf would make herself known soon so I could run through these beautiful forests.  

"The school you will be attending is The Silverthorne Academy."

'What?  Whoa.'  That caught my attention.  Finally the name of the destination.  I immediately started a web search to see what I could find out about the school.  Well, not the regular internet.  Schools like this are only listed on the dark web, of course." It was built by a powerful Alpha for his pack.  It was used as a mountain fortress for many years.  Being a generous Alpha, he donated it to be used as a mountain refuge in 1692 for witches fleeing the trials in Salem." Grandmother explained.  "After the trials were over in 1693 it was a mutual decision to turn the fortress into a school for both werewolves and witches." 

"That's weird.  There is nothing online about the Silverthorne Academy.  It's not on the maps, either.'           I thought, while scrolling through the web search results. I clicked on Swan Mountain.  'Uggggh!  Reception here sucks'

"For 200 years both werewolves and witches attended classes here together. But now it is just witches." She said with a look of …triumph?  She went on to tell me about Brutus Silverthorne,  who was the generous and wealthy werewolf Alpha who settled in the forests of Swan Mountain where the academy was located. It was high in the mountains away from humans. Grandmother also said it was built around the 1500's. 

'Ugh.  Musty, old and damp is what that tells me."'

"There is a town near the school that is named after after him" she continued.  "There are descendants from his pack still in the area so we will need to make sure we do a good job covering your wolf scent.  You need to stay away from that town.  You cannot risk being exposed.  You must not reveal who you really are to anyone.  Wolf or witch.  Do you understand?"  I nodded in agreement although I still did not fully understand why being part werewolf was such a bad thing at this school . 

 But I was going to find out.

Grandmother spent the rest of the trip explaining to me about my new 'gifts'. "Telekinesis, telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, retrocognition... Some or all of these gifts could be what the Moon Goddess has decided to bestow upon you. When you arrive at school you will be evaluated to see what gifts you possess.  Once that is determined, you will be placed in specific classes to develop those gifts."

"What about regular classes?  Will I still have to take those?" I excitedly asked and surprised myself.  Seems the "no talking" spell wore off a little quicker than Grandmother expected."Yes and...no.  You will still have to take some core classes, but for the most part you will be working on mastering your powers.  The school helps the students to be the very best at their given talents.  It is not a normal education.  Didn't you get enough of history and math at pack school??"  Grandmother asked.

'This might not be so bad after all!  No math!  No history!'

Grandmother laughed as if I had spoken the words out loud.  I swear I have got to figure out how she does that!

The feel of ground under the car changed as we turned off of the freeway and onto a gravel road marked "PRIVATE" and "TRESPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED".  I sure hope Robin knew where he was going!

We slowly made our way up the winding road.  Grandmother pointed out the places she used to walk when she was a girl attending this school.  "Over that ridge over there is where we have our Autumnal Equinox celebration.  It is the first day of autumn and the exact moment when the Sun is above the Equator, meaning day and night are of equal length. Such a MAGICAL time!" 

"The trees here are HUGE, Grandmother! The ones at home are nowhere near this big." I observed.

"That is because in Spain we have cut down so many of our forests to grow crops and make room for urban developments.  But do not worry Sophia Aven de la Oro,  OOPS, I mean Sophia Quinn Lilylight,  the forests on the pack lands that you will someday rule, are all privately owned and will never be sold or destroyed. The one thing your father did that pleased me immensely was to put the land into a trust for the pack and no one can ever take it away. Your future and the pack's future are safe and secure."

"I hope that one day the trees around the pack house can be as big as these" I sighed "I am going to make sure no one ever cuts them down...EVER!"

That made my grandmother smile.  She was very in tune with nature and taught us that respecting nature is like respecting the Moon Goddess herself.  I'd like to think I made her and the Moon Goddess proud.

A sharp tap on the glass made us both jump a little and seconds later the glass between the front seat and the back slowly lowered " I just wanted to let you know that we are almost at the school."  He said as he winked at me in the rearview mirror which, oddly, made my face feel a little flushed.  

As we approached a large stone fence with an iron gate I could see a partially demolished brick entry sign that said,

The

         Academy

But, the part that said Silverthorne wasn't there. The entire side of the sign was in pieces  In fact, it looked like someone had blown it up because there were charred bricks and burn marks all over where the name should  have been.  Someone had added, in red spray paint, CURSED to the sign.  Making it read The Cursed Academy.  Well, if that doesn't sound ominous what does?  

Before I could ask any questions the gates opened and we drove through.  I was peeking out of the windows trying to get any glimpse of the castle I would call home for the next four years when we rounded the corner and I saw the most magnificent building I have ever seen in my entire life.

It was massive.  Giant wooden beams supporting huge sheets of glass.  It was a mid-century, modern masterpiece of architecture and the entire place had a simple and organic look.  The main building was three floors and there were two other buildings that had two floors. 

There were a lot of smaller outbuildings and then across from the main building there was an older building that didn't quite match the rest of the school.  It looked like our old primary school back at the pack.  'I wonder what that is used for?'   There was a beautiful stone fountain near the entryway and beautiful trees and shrubs but no flowers.  I mean the stems and leaves were there, but not any flowers.  'That's weird.'

I spent a moment taking it all in and then the car came to a stop.  The door opened and Robin reached out his hand to help my Grandmother out of the car.  He then turned to me and offered his hand but Grandmother quickly stepped between us.  "She's fine.  Grab the bags. " she ordered. 

"Which way to the headmasters' office, young man?" my grandmother asked.

Robin looked at his watch and said "Well, it is 3:00 so she is probably feeding the buzzards."  He pointed to a small building to the left of the main building.  It had an entire area netted off behind the building as if to contain something.  As we walked closer I could hear calls and caws and screeches and hoots and chirps and peeps!!!

'Did they have a petting zoo here, or what?'  I excitedly wondered.

"Bird Sanctuary" Grandmother smiled and said as she turned her head back over her shoulder.  She was walking just a few steps in front of me and almost racing to the building. We walked through the gate beside the building.

"Be sure to carefully close and latch it.  We don't want any one escaping."  Grandmother said.

"Escaping??'

As we followed the sidewalk around the house we could hear the squawking getting louder and as we turned the corner of the building I could hear my grandmother squeal with joy.

"Mrs. Hallewell!  Mrs., Peony Hallewell!! I have missed you so much!"