Fated to Meet You

Chapter 4

Two weeks pass in the same rhythm. Katryna would wake up early to her father pounding at the door for breakfast, make him food, return to her room until lunch time to prepare his lunch, and then do the same until dinner. Then at night she would lie in bed, craving sleep but being unable to do so as she would repeat previous visions. The ones of those three boys kept her awake the longest.

But today was a little different. Just as she was setting down her father’s lunch, there was a rapt on the door. Katryna pauses, looking towards the door and wondering who would be here at this hour? And who would be knocking when they had a fully functioning doorbell. She finishes setting down her father’s food before going to answer the door.

Opening it, she sees a little old woman with red, curly hair frolicking all over from her head. Nobody she recognized. “Ah, Katryna! How lovely it is to see you!” A warm, bubbling smile crosses her face. “I am Professor Sierra, and I am your guide for making sure you are ready to attend Ariel’s Academy of Future Alphas and Sorceresses. Are you busy now or shall we get started?” This took Katryna by surprise, her being unable to comprehend what was just said to her. Ariel’s Academy? She had never heard of such a place! Except for in one little, purple envelope.

“Katryna! Who’s at the door?” She quickly glances over her shoulder, suddenly feeling uneasy.

“Just a saleswoman, dad! I’ll take care of it!” She quickly takes a step out the door before closing it softly behind her. “Excuse me, did you say Ariel’s Academy? Was that not a joke of some sort?” And even as she says it, she feels hope filling her that perhaps this was her chance to escape. With her mother’s disappearance, she had been unable to make enough time to work a job to get away from her father. But if there was an academy wishing to work with her, well hopefully they had boarding available. Maybe shared rooms with bunk beds? A place she would be going to meet that man with the beautiful stormy eyes.

This causes a small little laugh to escape Professor Sierra, “Oh no, Katryna, it was quite real.” She lifts a hand with a small, little green seed. Right before her eyes, Katryna watches it sprout into a little sunflower. Her mouth drops open a bit in shock. That.. was magic. That was really magic. “Now, must you tell him that you are leaving or shall we be on with it?”

Katryna fumbles with her next words, still grasping the existence of this little sunflower which she was now being offered. “Yes- I mean no-” she takes the sunflower, inspecting it closely, “I mean- yes. We can go now. He will be fine without me.” she clutches the flower tightly to her chest after deciding that it was, in fact, real.

Professor Sierra claps, “Perfect! Let’s go then, shall we?” She holds her arm out causing Katryna to slowly wrap her own around it. With a little snap and a strange incantion, they both disappear from the spot, the world spinning around them. It feels like minutes pass in this whirlpool of color before they land in a large, bustling square. Katryna takes in a sharp breath, the floating sensation quickly fading.

“Wow,” she whispers softly, watching all the people walk around in brightly colored cloaks, tons of little things flying overhead as well. If nothing in her life had ever screamed fantasy before, this certainly did. Professor Sierra just watched her fondly for a moment, letting her be awestruck and gain excitement. “Am I dreaming?” She lifts a hand and moves it towards the Professor, surprised to see her hand doesn’t pass through her.

Professor Sierra laughs again, “This is not a dream, dear. It is very much real. You are a sorceress, and soon to be a great one, too. This is the world you belong in.” She gives Katryna another moment to let her words sink in before starting to walk, “Now make sure you keep up, the list of things to buy is quite long.”

This helps to snap Katryna out of her daze, she quickly follows “I didn’t bring any money,” she begins to panic a bit. But Professor Sierra just nods knowingly, “Yes, yes. Even if you did, your change would be worthless here. The Academy will cover your expenses for now, but you will be working it off between classes. Most likely, it will be in the kitchen or the gardens. If you hold to be one of our top performers, however, we will cover them without the need for payoff. Just a little motivation for you to work harder.” This allows Katryna to relax a little more, instead focusing on following quickly while taking in everything she can see.

They continue milling about, getting books, pens, chalk, crystals, and then moving to the staff store. “Now, it is difficult to determine which staff will align with you the best without any insight as to what magic you may hold. Have you seen any strange occurrences happening around you? Any instances of magic which have aided you. Some of these may include causing harm to another who you only momentarily wished to, but did not truly hope to hurt.” Has she done anything magical? Well that’s hard to say as she doesn’t entirely know what can be done with magic.

Katryna does think about it for a bit, however, but ultimately decides that she has not done anything of the sort. “No, professor. I don’t think that I have done anything magic before.” This causes a small frown to mar the little sorceress’s face.

“Well then, perhaps we should go with a staff that works well with most types.” She gestures for Katryna to follow, and she does so quietly. Hundreds of displays sat around the shop, most not showcasing fully built staffs, however. Most displayed different crystals in different shapes as well as several varieties of wooden sticks with different patterns and lengths. Beneath each display sat a short description of how they can enhance the caster’s abilities.

They reach a section a bit to the right with a few completed staffs. “Here we are. Now, most sorceresses tend to fall under the categories of earth, water, fire, and air. Although we have several other specialties, most can be supported by a staff tending to these elements, as well. Do you have a particular attraction to one of these elements, dear?”

Katryna considers her choices. She was never particularly into swimming or fires, nor did she like getting dirty in the mud. Perhaps air, then? But it just didn’t feel right to her. But since she doesn’t know what else to suggest, she goes with it. “Maybe air?” The professor nods and grabs the staff, holding it out to her.

“Boreas’s Scepter, although primarily focused on wind, uses fire as a support.” It was a light wooden color with a round purple crystal on top. “Made from cottonwood and amethyst.” As Katryn takes the staff, the amethyst sparks a bit of light before fading out again. She looks at it uneasily, not wanting to cause a commotion due to her lack of knowledge of the item. The Professor pats her arm lightly, “No need to worry, Katryna. It may take a bit for the tool to warm up to you. Let’s go check out and get you home for the day.”

Katryna nods and they begin to leave. She looks at the wand in amazement. How could she hold something radiating so much power? Knowing that she was capable of using it made her feel invincible. It wasn’t long before she was stocked with bags, walking through the front door of her house. Seeing the sun starting to set, she quickens her pace, worrying about the time. Dinner was late now, and she was praying her dad would not be angry.

As the door closes behind her, a deep voice booms angrily, “Where have you been? The kitchen was not cleaned and dinner should have been ready an hour ago.” Katryna grimaces, quickly setting her stuff down. “And what the hell is that?” He points at the staff poking out from under her arm. This was going to be hard to explain.