Magic Acadamy

Lily had always been an unusual girl.

Even from a young age, she had a fascination with the world around her that was different from her peers. She would spend hours exploring the forests near her home, searching for mythical creatures that only her mind could imagine. Her Uncle and Aunt the Havenwoods would often forget to mention her. They were the people you would never expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.

To them, Lily would be the end of their normal suburban appearance. Mr. and Ms. Havenwood had also neglected to let their friends know where she had come from as that part of Ms. Havenwoods family was kept locked away like a dirty secret. Despite her Aunt and Uncles reluctance to embrace her uniqueness, Lily never lost her sense of wonder and curiosity.

She continued to explore the world around her, even as she grew older, and developed a deep appreciation for the natural world and its mysteries. Lily's unconventional interests often led her to feel like an outsider, but she never let that stop her from pursuing her passions and finding joy in the things that made her different.

When the Havenwoods woke up on the dull, gray Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Havenwood cheerfully hummed to himself while selecting his most unremarkable tie for the day ahead, while Mrs. Havenwood happily chatted away as she supervised Lily's start on her daily tasks. Although the workload seemed overwhelming for a child of her size, Mrs. Havenwood was determined to keep her occupied and away from prying eyes.

None of them noticed the large owl flutter past their window.

At half past seven, Mr. Havenwood picked up his briefcase and kissed his wife on the cheek, He got into his car and backed out of the driveway.

It was on the corner of the street that he noticed something peculiar -- a group of people in brightly colored robes, marching down the street in unison, they were chattering excitedly about something. Mr. Havenwood couldn't help but feel a sense of unease as he watched them pass by. "What an odd thing to wear?" He said out loud to himself. He shook his head, thinking that he must be seeing things, and continued on his way to work, trying to shake off the strange feeling that had settled over him. Little did he know that this was just the beginning of the peculiar events that were about to unfold in his seemingly ordinary suburban town.

As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. Including the ones, he had seen down on Maple Street. People in vibrant cloaks. He supposed this was some stupid new fashion. The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, he arrived at work.

As he walked towards his office building, he saw more and more people in bright, flowing robes, all walking with purpose towards the city center. Mr. Havenwood couldn't help but feel a sense of unease as he realized that this was more than just a silly fashion trend.

He hurried into his office and sat with his back against the window. If he hadn't he would have seen more of those strangely dressed weirdos walking around down below followed by an entourage of owls swopping past in the daylight. He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road to buy himself a sandwich from the deli.

As he walked towards the deli, he couldn't help but notice that the town square was bustling with activity, with more and more people in brightly colored robes gathering together. The air was thick with an energy he couldn't quite explain, and he felt a sense of curiosity growing within him. He ordered his sandwich and turned to leave, but as he did, he felt a tug at his sleeve. Turning around, he saw a woman with piercing green eyes staring back at him, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.

"Did you hear the good news today?" Mr. Havenwood scoffed. He wouldn't admit it out loud but he was anything but pleased with these robe-wearing weirdos talking to him. "No, I didn't." He grumbled. "The Matthews have a daughter and she is here. We are excited to meet her." Mr. Havenwood stopped dead. Fear flooded him. He looked back at the lady as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it.

He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down thinking... no, he was being stupid. There was no way they meant Matthews as in his estranged niece's family. Perhaps he heard the name wrong, or maybe the robed lady misspoke. There was no need in worrying his wife about her sister; she had always got so upset at any mention of her. He didn't blame her -- if he had a sister like that...but then again there was the matter of those people in the cloaks.

He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, and turned back to his work. But he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was not right. He kept glancing out of the window, watching the strange activities down below. As the day wore on, more and more peculiar events seemed to be happening in the town.

As Mr. Havenwood left the building at five o'clock he was so concentrated on his thoughts that he walked right into someone just outside the door.

The person he bumped into was a young woman, who was also dressed in a vibrant cloak. She looked up at him, startled, and he noticed that her eyes were an unusual shade of green. "I'm sorry," he muttered, before hurrying away without a second glance. As he walked towards his car, he couldn't help but feel like he was being watched. He glanced around, but there was no one nearby. He shook his head, trying to dispel the feeling of unease that was creeping over him once again.

As he pulled into the driveway the first thing he saw-and it didn't improve his mood was the same robe-wearing freaks he'd spotted that morning.

"Get out of here!" He shouted.

They didn't move. They just gave him a stern look. Was this normal? Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife.

Mrs. Havenwood had a nice normal day. She told him all about it over dinner. She went about her usual routine, spying on the neighbors and dishing their secrets to Mr. Havenwood over a pile of mashed potatoes. Mr. Havenwood often wondered if they knew that spied on them; not that would stop her any. After Lily had been put to bed by Ms. Havenwood he went into the living room to catch the latest report on the news:

"There have been hundreds of sightings of owls today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Most mysterious. And now for the weather."

He sat frozen in his armchair. Owls flying by daylight? He hadn't noticed any owls today --He would surely remember if he did -- What about the mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And that lady who mentioned Mrs. Havenwoods sisters last name...

Mrs. Havenwood came into the living brandishing two cups of hot tea. He cleared his throat nervously. "Er--Marie, dear--you haven't heard anything from your sister lately have you?"

As he expected she looked shocked and angry.

"No," She said sharply. "Why?"

Mr. Havenwood hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to proceed.

"Well," he said finally, "I just heard some strange things today while I was out and about. People in cloaks, sightings of owls in broad daylight...and someone mentioned your sister's last name."

"What are you trying to say, George?" she asked gently.

"I don't know," he replied, shaking his head. "Maybe it's nothing. But it just seems like there's something...off...about our neighborhood lately. I can't quite put my finger on it."

He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. He crept over to the bedroom window and noticed that those people were still out there. And they appeared to be waiting for something or someone.

Was he imagining things?

Mrs. Havenwood fell asleep quickly but Mr. Havenwood lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if they were involved there was no reason for them to come near him. Her family knew very well what they thought about their kind. There was no way this could affect them.

How very wrong he was.

Mr. Havenwood might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep. They remained motionless, resembling statues, with unblinking gazes fixed intently on the far corner of the street. Not even the sound of a car door slamming on the neighboring block or the sight of two swooping owls caused them to flinch. As a matter of fact, it was almost midnight before they made any movements at all.

A man appeared on the corner they had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground.

Maple Street had never seen anyone quite like him. He was tall and lean, with a shock of unruly black hair and bright blue eyes that seemed to sparkle even in the dim light of the evening. His clothes were stylish and modern, consisting of a fitted leather jacket, dark jeans, and polished boots. He wore a silver pendant around his neck. Despite his youth, there was an air of confidence and wisdom about him that belied his age. This man's name was Magnus.

Magnus didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome. He was busy rummaging in his jacket, looking for something. Though he did seem to sense that he was being observed, he abruptly glanced up at the group of onlookers who were still staring at him from the far end of the street. The sight of them appeared to bring him a sense of amusement, and he let out a chuckle while muttering under his breath, "I should have expected this."

He swiftly retrieved a wand from his inner pocket, which he had been searching for. With a flick of his wrist, he took the lights. A nearby street lamp fizzled out with a quiet pop. He continued to flick it until all of the streetlights were extinguished, except for two faint gleams in the distance. Now, even Mrs. Havenwood, with her beady eyes, couldn't see what was happening on the street below if she looked out of her window. Magnus replaced the wand in his jacket and proceeded to walk down the road toward the Havenwoods.

"Fancy seeing you all here." He said to the crowd now surrounding 417 Maple Street.

"I'm surprised you're all here. They were several celebrations on my way here." He said.

"Oh yes, everyone's celebrating, all right," Professor Addams said. "You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no-even the normies have noticed something's going on. It was on their news." He jerked his head back at the Havenwood's dark living room window. "I heard it. Flocks of owls... Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something."

"You can't blame them," said Magnus gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for twelve years."

"I know that," said Professor Addams irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in normie clothes." He clicked his tongue.

"It certainly seems so," Magnus said. "We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a candy?"

"A what?"

"A candy. The normies all sorts of them most I'm growing fond of."

"No, thank you," said Professor Addmas coldly.

The rumor is that Lily's parents are-are-that they're-dead." I can't believe it... I didn't want to believe it."

Mangus reached out and patted him on the shoulder. "I know... I know..." he said heavily.

Professor Addams pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at his eyes. Magnus gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it. "He is late," Magnus said.

"He is supposed to bring the girl her invitation to Evermore. Even if this is the only family she has left in the world it is not a family I would like her to stay with." Magnus said.

"A letter?" Professor Addams exclaimed. "Really, Magnus, you think you can explain all this in a letter? She will be famous. She won't understand and neither with the normies, she has been staying with. They have kept her a secret this long. I haven't seen her outside once today. Not once." Addams shook his head.

"Yes-yes, you're right, of course. But we can't simply walk right in there and tell Lilly Matthews that she's a witch and her parents are some of the most prestigious magical folks we have. Might scare her right off and those normies would be quick about having us escorted by the police."

"The police? Please we are not normies. Have you forgotten we can literally evaporate back to evermore?" Addams chuckled.

A lanky man popped out of thin air with a letter in hand. "Sorry, I'm late. The normies -- Well they seem to have noticed our kind showing up all over the place." "That's alright. Drop the letter in the mailbox so we can be on with the festivities." Magnus said motioning toward the mailbox.

"Do you think she will receive that letter?" Addams asked. "If she doesn't then I will have our very own Darian here come and bring one back over and over until Lily receives it."

The pair gave one last look back at Maple Street and dissipated into thin green smoke.