A NEW LIFE

"We were there when the world fell upon its knees and died.

We saw our sons and daughters struck down,

Then we knew that our end was already upon us"

[Excerpt from journal entry of an unknown Elder from the faction of Gatherers about the beginning of the new age]

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Coraa and Grimshake found Ella standing a few meters down the corridors with two girls that exhibited an almost bizarre likeness to her, not in appearance but rather in mannerism and in their tenacity for verbosity. All three were speaking in rushed whispers, heads bowed close to one another, eyes shining with excitement. They didn't notice Coraa and Grimshake's approach until the latter cleared his throat pointedly. Ella squeaked, apparently startled, while the other two girls stared at Coraa with awe.

"If you will excuse me, Megari, Albertine…I best be on my way", Ella said tilting her head regally, as her eyes pointedly widened at the other two girls who seemed to be temporarily struck dumb by Coraa and Master Grimshake's appearance.

"O-Of course", they both replied, while Megari blushed. "Go right ahead", Albertine added, clearly flustered. "We also-I mean-we-we have to go too. Yes. Excuse me, I mean us. Excuse us too", she stammered as they rushed off.

"Will you want to see Coraa's accommodations for yourself Master Grimshake?" Ella asked once they all could no longer see the figures of the two girls that rushed on ahead of them.

"I assure you they are the very best of accommodations, everything has been prepared ahead for her, or so I am told", she continued, a bit hurried, once it was clear that neither one of the two seemed inclined to contribute to conversation. "But of course, you would know that Master Gimshake after all, you were once …"

They turned a corner that Coraa didn't remember seeing on their way to the Master Orwell's office and walked up a flight of winding narrow stairs that seemed to emerge out of a bottomless pit of darkness. She couldn't see the top from where they started out and for seemingly endless amount of time, they seemed to follow the same winding loop over and over again until Ella exclaimed in the midst of her chatter, "Ahaa! Here we are! Level 14, the females resting quarters".

She turned to face Coraa for just about the first time since the moment they had met outside the school building. "Are you ready?" She asked, enunciating each word as though Coraa was partially deaf and not just inept at speaking the common tongue. "To see where you will reside?" she smiled benevolently.

The doors swung wide open before Coraa could determine a reply and then Ella swept ahead her demeanor altering slightly enough to go unnoticed, her shoulders were straighter, neck held straighter, and nose higher while her eyes stared straight ahead. Her movements grew smoother, less erratic, less excitable.

"Come along" Ella said striding into what appeared to be an empty hallway with closed doors on either side with casual familiarity. Coraa glanced back as she stepped through the doorway only to realise that the eerie flight of stairs was no longer behind them. It appears as though they had just stepped through a very wide corridor with thick carpeting on its floor and numerous black and white portraits of weirdly dressed individuals hang up on walls.

The sight surprised her enough that she stumbled and listed to her right slightly bumping into Grimshake, who in turn appeared not to notice her lack of Grace. She looked ahead and noticed that they had just entered a richly furbished room with about four couches randomly placed at different intervals around the room. There was a lone armchair right next to what appeared to a single wide glass doorway leading onto a balcony. Three desks with high-backed chairs were placed in different corners, one of which was occupied by a girl, who was studiously looking through a huge tome of a book with at least three more sprawled open over the desk.

"This is the apprentice's common room, and the corridor we just passed through is where their sleeping quarters lie" Ella whispered, walking purposefully towards the open glass door leading to the balcony. "You don't want to be caught in here lingering unless you have an official reason to be here. I just took you through so that you would know where it is in case anyone mentions anything about it. The balcony was wider than Coraa expected, and seemed to run the whole length of the floor's building. There were a few seats placed at various intervals.

"This is where different people are allowed to mingle. You can't enter another person's private space unless they allow you entry, and there are different rules about it. You will get to learn them, for now stick to where your sleeping quarters are located and you will be safe" she added.

"Here we go" she said once they had walked about 15feet to the right, away from the apprentice's common room. Another wide glass doorway stood before them. The room beyond it was empty, but there were several signs of people being in residence at a certain point. There was a scarf draped over seat on one couch, books scattered randomly over one table and a set of carefully arranged game boards on another. The armchair looked old, with a couple of stains on its upholstery.

Before Coraa knew it, they had walked into another corridor and then they were standing before a door that looked indistinguishable from all the others lined up along the corridor with it.

"This will be your room" Ella said beckoning Coraa to enter after her. "Normally, the students share rooms with someone in the year above them, with the exception of the apprentice-levels students, but I was told you were going to room alone since you came in a little late into the school year" she added.

"And her belongings?" Master Grimshake asked glancing casually around the room, while watching Coraa trace her fingers on the decorative patterns etched into the wall.

"They are already here", Ella replied, indicating a few items placed over a small reading table by the open window across the room. Next to it was a comfortable four poster bed with a curtain drawn over its length.

"Will you be taking her through her orientation?" Grimshake asked quietly, watching Coraa's exploration of the room intently.

"Yes. It is what I am here for", Ella replied, frowning slightly.

"Well then. If you could excuse us for but a few seconds, I would like to give some final instructions to my charge."

"But I can't-" Ella started her frown growing deeper.

"Go now", Grimshake quietly commanded. "I will inform you when I am ready for you to come back in"

"Of course, Sir", Ella replied, heading for the door, still looking a bit confused. When the door was closed behind her Grimshake murmured something and a white light began to shine out of his hand He passed the light over the different items that were in the room. And then seeming satisfied with whatever it revealed. He turned back to Coraa once more and spoke to her in Pahazar.

"What do you think of this place?" he asked, getting straight to the point. "Noticed anything yet?"

Coraa glanced around the room curiously and then shook her head briefly.

"Very well", Master Grimshake said rubbing his gloved hands together. "This is goodbye for now. Please inform any of your teachers if you begin seeing strange things in these buildings". And with that he walked out the door and shut it firmly and finally behind himself. Coraa watched the door click shut with a pleasantly blank expression and then walked to over to her new bed. She drew aside the curtains and briefly touched the bedspread. Then she went ahead to use the footstool by the bed's nightstand to climb on to the bed and lay down on her back, staring blankly at the ceiling this time round.

This was to be her new age: her new beginning, in her totally brand-new life.