Chapter Three: New Home, New Life

As Winnie got on the shiny, black bus, she was struck by the variety of pixies on board. The pixie guilds had the most variety of the forms. Most of the pixies in the Western Guild were shades of pink and red but she saw a few blue pixies on the bus as well. The Eastern Guild was mainly shades of green with some being blue. The Northern and Southern Guilds however were entirely homogenous groups with shades of blue in the former and shades of orange in the latter. From her rudimentary studies she learned that pixie Form Magic was based around the seasons and each guild was charged with helping things run smoothly. She quietly sat down near the back by a window.

"Hello, Winnie. You took everyone by surprise when you showed to be a Pixie and not a Werewolf. I'm sorry that you had to leave your friends behind." A quiet girl said, as she sat next to her. "I'm Nora Nagashima, is it okay if I sit here with you?"

Sure, go ahead. I wish I could talk to them still but I don't think they would want a tagalong you know." Winnie answered. "Hopefully, I can get along with people in the guild so I'm not so lonely."

"That's the spirit. If they felt that way, then they weren't true friends to begin with. I'm not a traditionalist like a lot of older people who seem to think mixing of forms is wrong even if you're just friends. I think that's silly. Maybe you can contact them after you get settled in." Nora grinned

"Ya, maybe." Winnie whispers

Nora, noticing her slight melancholy, choose to end the conversation there, giving her a slight smile she turns way and chats with a boy across the aisle. Winnie looks back out the window and eventually falls asleep. It felt like a short time later that Nora was lightly shoving her to wake her up. They had arrived at the guild dorms.

The dorms were a light brown chateau style mansion with stained glass windows and white French doors with a large garden that wind around the property. It was absolutely beautiful. Maybe being a Pixie wouldn't be so bad if she could stay in a place like this.

Michael stopped the group in the entry hall to give room assignments and class schedules. She hoped she got a roommate who was nice but if they weren't, she hoped they would be out of the room that they shared as much as possible.

"Winnie Stone, your room is 314, you will be rooming with Angelica Roberts." Michael called.

"Thank you, Mr. Sheeli." Winnie said, taking the key.

"Michael, please. I'm only a few years older and I hope we can be friends." He replied.

"That would be nice." She smiled back.

"Hey, Winnie right? I'm Angelica but most people call me Angie. It looks like we will be rooming together." A petite girl with brown hair, cherry toned skin and gold wings said.

"Yeah, it's nice to meet you Angie." Winnie replied.

They moved to their room and noticed that it had two twin beds on opposite sides of the room and two wardrobes and two desks next to the bed. Winnie went to the left and set her bags down while Angelica did the same on the right. When she was done unpacking, she moved to the window. It seemed they had a good view of the backyard garden as their room was in the middle of the hall. They shared bathrooms with the entire floor and there was a communal space across from the bathrooms. Hopefully she could settle in quickly and get up the nerve to visit the Western Wolf Pack, at their ranch, to see her friends.

Soon enough, the new roommates moved back down to the entry hall so they could do a tour of the dorms and the new school. The tour wasn't long but it seemed surreal. It was starting to sink in that they were adults. She started to feel excited for classes tomorrow. Learning to fly certainly would be an interesting experience.

"Welcome to your first flying lesson." The teacher shouted. "I am Mrs. Cartwright and I will be your flying instructor while you are here."

"Good morning, Mrs. Cartwright." The class intoned with varying degrees of enthusiasm.

"We are going to start slow, just flap your wings to start with, later we will try to ascend a few feet. I will be coming around to help and don't worry I'm one of the guild's swiftest flyers so I will do my best to prevent any of you getting injured." She reassured.

It felt odd moving her wings after so many years of not having them. One could argue that she had always had them, since birth, but it was still a shocking and new sensation. New muscles moving more rapidly as the gathered pixies gained confidence.

"Well done everyone, you seem to be getting the hang of the new muscles that you all gained. The next step is to slightly hop to gain height and remember to flap your wings and try to catch the wind currents to stabilize yourself. Don't try to go too high, we don't want any accidents." The teacher explained.

Winnie flapped her shimmering, pale amber wings and jumped slightly. She tried a few times before she succeeded in catching a draft and lifting into the air a few feet. She continued to flap her wings leisurely, smiling at Nora and Angelica, both hovering next to her. It was a good start and she was feeling giddy for the rest of the day.

Singing class was even more nerve wracking than the flying. Their voices need to be clear and the notes precise to influence plant life and weather conditions. It made her nervous that she could cause a natural disaster so easily.

"Remember class practice the breath support exercises and mouth movements but don't try to sing outside of class. While the school has funds to help with any disasters that occur, we want to try to minimize the possibility of any damage." Mr. Clearwater explained. "Emotions can have a large effect on our singing and can easily make our magic slip out of control and cause damage to us as well as the surrounding area. Too much damage can result in fines to the student and can even go as far as prison time if people are seriously wounded. I don't want any of you to have your wings clipped for any amount of time. Be careful and you are dismissed."

Winnie and her two new friends moved to go to lunch. There were several restaurants on campus that offered balanced meals geared to keep the students in top shape. They chose a place that allowed customers to mix their own ingredients into a hearty bowl that would be cooked right in front of the guests. She ate slowly, listening to Nora and Angie discuss their classes and some of the cute boys in said classes. She shook her head and thought of her werewolf friends.

At the end of the day, the three girls walked back to the dorms. Nora was next door in room 315 and her roommate, Maureen Parkson was leaving the room as they came down the hall.

"Hello all, how were your classes. I wish I could be in most of them considering Nora is my roommate." Maureen smiled at them.

"They were thrilling, I can't wait for more singing classes." Angie gushed.

"Me too, I'm kind of nervous about making mistakes considering the danger but Mr. Clearwater is so understanding. He's very confidence boosting." Nora agreed.

"I like flying, it's so soothing and I can't wait to go higher into the clouds and go anywhere I want. I agree with Nora too, the danger of singing makes me really nervous but I am determined not to make any mistakes. I don't want anyone getting hurt because of me." Winnie said

"I agree with Winnie, flying is definitely more enjoyable. There is nobody else that could really get hurt except yourself if something goes wrong." Maureen nods. "Well, I'm off to the library to study if you guys want to join, no pressure."

"I'll join you, just let me get some things from my room." Winnie explained.

"Sure thing, either of you want to join?" Maureen agreed.

"No thanks, maybe tomorrow. First days are exhausting, I have to get into a rhythm." Nora winced.

"I think I'm just going to relax too. See you guys tomorrow." Angie waved and entered the room, closing the door as Winnie walked to meet Maureen.

"I guess it's just you and me tonight." Maureen smiles.

Winnie smiles back as they both move down the hallway and out of the dorm. The library is next door to the school and is open to all years. As they walk in they see several others from their classes mixed in with the older students. It makes Winnie feel better that she and Maureen are not the only first years that chose to visit the library after the first day of class. She decided she would visit her friends at the ranch by the end of the week. With that mental note resolved, she opened her book to study musical theory.