The Academy (BurningWillows & Georgie_Leech)

On the surface, Pennington's Preparatory College is an ordinary, albeit exclusive, preparatory school in the northern USA. Though it offers a few undergraduate programs, mostly for business-related majors, Pennington's has a reputation for producing the best and brightest students for any field. Students who have taken courses at Pennington's move on to other universities and colleges with the skills needed to survive and even thrive in competitive and rigorous environments. They become creative architects, brilliant scientists, cunning lawyers, shrewd businessmen. Enrollment is largely invitation only; the philosophy of Pennington's is that only the best steel makes the best swords, and that they are the forge to shape it. Students from across North America fly in to learn in its prestigious halls.

This is all a lie. Or at least, a half-truth at best. In reality, Pennington's is one of the few schools to cater exclusively to the Supernatural World, and will accept any and all such applicants. Indeed, they actively seek out such students, and its reputation among the Supernatural is a constant social pressure to send your children there when they come of age. Known to it's students simply as "The Academy," the school teaches them the skills needed to remain secret and secure in an increasingly monitored and interconnected world. Witches and Warlocks practise controlling the spirits; Werewolves learn to manage their bestial urges; Vampires are taught how navigate in a sunlit world. Above all, the students must demonstrate the skills to remain hidden and discrete in modern society. The Academy prides itself (perhaps rightly so) as one of the major reasons that the Internet has yet to reveal the secret kept so long from mundane civilisation.

It's the start of the new school year, which means that things are unusually busy on campus. The returning students meet up after being away with family for weeks, exchanging teary-eyed hugs, back slapping, and otherwise reconnecting. The new students are milling about, trying to find where their dorms are, or how to navigate their class schedule. The Supernatural World is not the most populous, and since they come from all corners of the continent, most have no social connections already in place. Inbred caution and nervousness lead to little communication between the students, though volumes can be read in a glance. Is that student glaring at you, and they'll be your new enemy? Or are they merely squinting through the crowd, trying to read the signs temporarily put up on the walls? The result is a chaotic mess, but slowly, the students learn where they're supposed to be going.

By 1 o'clock, the halls are mostly empty save for a few stragglers, and most students are busy unpacking in their new dorms. A scratchy announcement comes over the intercom system. "This is a reminder that the opening ceremonies will be taking place in one hour. All new students should proceed to Auditorium 1A in the first basement floor. We will begin at precisely 2 PM. Being late on the first day would be a poor way to make a first impression." Chancellor Augustina Warwick's calm voice had the sound of practised repetition to it, but it was easy to tell that disappointing her before classes had even begun would be a poor choice.

Phoenix Collins pulled out her phone from her back pocket and answered it for the umpteenth time.

"Mom, stop calling," She sighed, glancing at the map in her manicured hand.

"Are you there?" She asked, trying to hide the condemnation in her voice, "Did the taxi find it alright?"

Sighing loudly to make a point, Phoenix replied, "Yes mom, the taxi got me here just fine. And no, I'm not coming home no matter how much you bother me."

"Am I not allowed to worry about my only daughter?" she dropped the mom-card, making Phoenix more annoyed.

"Is dad there?"

With a sigh and a "I love you" Phoenix's mother gave up her phone. As it shuffled hands to her father, she stepped off the path leading from the school's stone fence to the large main doors. Most students were meandering towards it, but a few were lounging in the grass with friends. Phoenix took a seat in the mowed grass alone, dropping her bags off beside her and crossing her legs.

"Sweetheart? Are you there?" her dad's voice was scratchy to the ears, but also familiar, "Are you safe?"

Her dad asked the important questions. Her mother on the other hand had been trying to guilt trip her to come home from the minute she had gotten the acceptance letter from Pennington's Preparatory College. If Darlene Collins had the choice in the matter, her daughter wouldn't be going to some preparatory college. If it was my mom's choice I wouldn't be going to college at all, Phoenix thought bitterly.

"I'm fine dad. Just tired from the flight. I'm inside the school property now, so I'm safe."

"Good. Do you know all your classes yet?"

"Not yet dad, remember I still have to finish paying before I get my official timetable. I'll be okay though, don't worry."

"Yes, yes...the school wants an awful lot of money."

Phoenix rolled her baby blue eyes, "Not you too dad."

"It is a lot of money though."

I got to let you go now dad," Phoenix lied, wanting desperately out of the conversation, "I need to find my dorm room."

"Okay sweetie," he agreed, "Call us tonight when your settled."

"Will do. Please don't let mom call me again."

"I'll try."

When she got off the phone she turned it to silent, and stuffed it back into her denim shorts. Hoisting her backpack over her bare left shoulder and grabbing her suitcase she got back up and moved towards the school. Nerves and excitement rolled through her as she stepped through the open wide oak doors.

Her first stop was the main offices; a row of secretaries behind desks split by half walls filled the long back wall as she walked in. The main part of the room was split into two: a roped in line that took up most of the space and was full of other students waiting to see a secretary, and a small waiting area with plush black chairs. Large black letters spelt "Main Offices" over the secretaries, and a sign on the right wall beside the line up detailed why students should be here.


Phoenix got into line, picking at her nails as she waited. It took half an hour for her to get to the front, and when she finally got to talk to one of the secretaries she was nervous and impatient.

"I need to pay my fees." she stammered as she strode up to the desk.

"Name?"

"Phoenix Collins."

The woman tapped at her keyboard, looking the new student up, "Freshman?"

"Uh...sure?"

"Have you filled out all the paperwork."

Phoenix had been drowning in paperwork, so she nodded yes. The secretary was prompt, finding the balance she owed and letting her pay with her shiny new MasterCard. The secretary than handed her a new pile of papers, stating that some needed to be returned filled out, and others were just for Phoenix's benefit. Muttering a thanks she scooped them into her arm and left quickly.

Next my dorm, she sighed, glancing around, How do i find my dorms? A loud female voice suddenly filled the hallways, making Phoenix jump out of her skin. Something about a ceremony? It sounded mandatory, and Phoenix vaguely could recall remembering a notice she had got about all new students needing to attend. It was only in an hour, giving her barely enough time to find her dorm and drop off her things before rushing to the auditorium.

The crowded halls are quickly beginning to thin out, more students finding their dorms or making their way to the auditorium. It doesn't take long to find the building where Phoenix's dorm room was, and from there, a helpful RA gave simple instructions on how to find her specific room.

Phoenix's dorm is quite small, though it is one of the few that didn't come with a roommate. Near the door on the wall is a small coat rack, and a matt over tile flooring to wipe shoes. To the right of the door is a small area with cupboards and a counter space for preparing food, as well as an old microwave. A door in the back of the kitchen leads to a small bathroom and standing shower, with a pair of clean white towels folded neatly on a small shelf. The rest of the room is carpeted in a dark grey. Across from the kitchen is a desk and chair, relatively large for the cramped room. Against the far wall from the door, there is a small bed and mattress with a pair of clean white pillows. Beside the bed is a small nightstand with a lamp and simple digital alarm clock, and beside that a closet is set into the wall. The entire room is lit a by a single light fixture roughly in the middle of the ceiling, with a pair of light bulbs beneath a small fan. Trying to start the fan with the pull cord achieved nothing, as it appears that the fan is broken. Since it's one of the rooms near the center of the building, rather than near the edge, there are no windows.

Phoenix shoulders slumped at her excuse for an apartment. She hadn't really known what to expect, but she hadn't realized it would be so small. Maybe a bedroom separated by a door, or a full kitchen? On the bright side, she thought, At least I don't have a roommate.

She tossed her backpack onto the bed and left her suitcase at the door. Emptying her pack of inessentials, Phoenix slipped her wallet, timetable, ipod, and a book inside and zipped it up. She quickly changed out of the plain black tank top she'd worn on the plane to a baby blouse blouse that sat hung loose down her waist. It was slightly too big for her, reaching past her denim shorts, but it was also transparent and cute, so she didn't mind. She wore a cream colored tank underneath, and changed out of her flip flops to a pair of nude wedges.

Feeling more confident, Phoenix left her dorm and turned right, practically bumping into her dorm supervisor.

"Oh...sorry," Phoenix sighed, backing up.

"Phoenix, right?" The older student asked.

"Nix," Phoenix corrected, "You can call me Nix."

"Okay, Nix then." He smiles warmly, and extends a dark hand to shake. "I'm Caleb Johnson, the RA here. Just a quick few rules to go over before I leave you to your unpacking." He holds up a finger. "First, be considerate to your neighbours. I know it goes without saying, but in particular you want to avoid trying out new things you're learning about for the first time in here." He laughs. "A few years back someone tried to do the water-into-wine thing, and accidentally turned most of the water in our plumbing into alcohol for a few hours. We got it straightened out without too many problems, but that's now rule number one." He lifts up a second finger. "Number two, lights out is after ten at night. That doesn't necessarily mean bed time; what you do with your own time is up to you. It just means that loud music or the like has to stop. You know, try not to wake people up. Some of us have early morning classes." He holds up another finger. "Third, we don't have much of a pest problem, but try not to leave open food out anyway. No sense testing fate. As part of your enrollment fees, you get three square meals a day in the cafeteria, so the microwave is mostly if you get hungry during the night and need a snack or something. If you want to have a mini-icebox or something, talk to me later, and we can get it sorted out."

He drops his hands, and looks Phoenix firmly in the eyes. "Finally, and I really hope this won't ever have to come up, but we take assault, whether physical, mental, and sexual, extremely serious here. If you're ever feeling threatened, go to a professor or other staff member immediately. If you're in immediate danger, scream, and someone will come running. Conversely, if you're ever caught doing any of the above, including "just giving someone a mental nudge" to make them a bit more receptive, you'll face serious consequences."

Caleb shakes his head. "Like I said, hopefully that doesn't come up. Of course, all the usual school rules apply, which will be talked about in the opening ceremonies. Which are beginning in..." He checks a digital watch on his wrist. "About 30 minutes. When you're done unpacking, head to the main building, then follow the signs to the stairs down. If you go in the front door, you can't miss them." He smiles again, then leaves Phoenix to get her things in order.

Nix followed the directions of Caleb's as best she could, and eventually found the route to the stairs. From there she followed the bustling line of other students who all seemed to be travelling in the same direction. Not daring to ask them if they were attending the ceremonies or not, she followed silently and hoped for the best.

Following the students is both simple and effective, and Phoenix finds the auditorium easily. The crowds make it a little difficult to get in however, as there is only a single obvious door. It leads to the top of a large amphitheatre-style room, semicircular in shape, that could have held four hundred standing people easily. However, there isn't as much space as there could have been, as on each of the tiered landings, desks are arranged to view a center stage. Most of the seats are already taken, but it isn't too difficult to find an empty place. The chairs are simple but comfortable; there isn't any padding, but they are shaped in such a way as to not dig into your legs.

The focal point of the room is a slightly raised stage, where a long table has been set up. A number adults are seated behind it, some talking quietly, but most are sitting patiently as they wait for the rest of the students to arrive. They're most likely some of the professors. The rather dignified looking woman in the centre gives off an impression of implacableness and poise is probably the head of the school, Chancellor Augustina Warwick, but the others are a mystery to Phoenix.

A quick glance at her phone tells Phoenix that there are about five minutes before the presentation starts.

Fiddling with her cellphone in her hand, she gained the attention of the student beside her. He eyed her with a raised eyebrow and while tempted to shoot one back, she instead leaned and asked him, "So what's this for?"

He seemed confused, and Nix couldn't tell if it was her question or Phoenix herself.

"What's this ceremony for?" she amended, sitting properly in her seat this time and speaking a little louder, trying to seem confident around this student who was mostly obviously sizing her up.

The other student leans in and whispers conspiratorially, "It's just to welcome all the students and go over the basic rules. Also gives the professors a chance to get a sense of how big the classes are going to be." He seemed to be relishing the chance to show off, and continues. "My brother graduated last year, and he told me all about it, even who the teachers are."

He points at the short man on the left, with a shock of messy black hair and a small pair of glasses. "That's Professor Belby, the teacher for general Magic and Eye-ro-mancy." His stumble over the word Aeromancy is obvious; clearly he won't be attending those classes. "Beside him," he says, referring to the rather portly fellow beside Professor Belby, "is Professor Bartleby, the Geomancy teacher. And the babe beside him is Professor Fiore." A rather beautiful woman is in fact sitting beside him, her Spanish features utterly calm. "She's in charge of Peer-ro-mancy. I hear she really... fiery!" He waited expectantly for a reaction.

Nix raised her eyebrow farther. His attempt at a joke was lost on her. As were all the terms of what she assumed was magic. She'd briefly glanced over the different magic classes, but their terms were lost on her. She'd picked out her classes by description, hoping she wouldn't stand out for her lack of knowledge when she got to the school.

Now, however, she was feeling the full effects of being an outsider and instead of laughing, coughed uncomfortably.

"Who are the others?" she asked feebly, ignoring the blush rising on her pale cheeks.

The boy seems to be oblivious to how flat his joke fell. "The next one is Professor Robinson. She's the professor of aque... aquay... uh... water magic. She's supposed to be a real hard-ass when it comes to marks." The plain-faced woman doesn't look particularly mean. If anything, she looks like she's thinking about something else entirely, with a far-off look in her eyes.

"The one in the middle is the head of the school, Chancellor Warwick. A bit scary, sometimes. Beside her is Doctor Greens." He points to an older man with graying hair. "He's supposed to be a real big shot with Potions. And that girl in the fancy dress is Professor Petro. She makes sure we all know not to do something stupid like wolf-out in the middle of a shopping mall." He grins, pleased with himself for the description. "Speaking of which, Professor Chauncey there, the balding one, teaches were's like myself or other transforming things the finer points. And on the end we have... uh..." He frowns, looking towards a man in a well-tailored suit, idly flipping a coin. "Hm. I'm not actually sure who he is."

"You're a werewolf?" she asked, her blue eyes glancing over at him as she flicked her dark locks over one shoulder, "That's so cool!"

The boy grinned, and looks like he was about to continue when a clear chime fills the room. All eyes are drawn to the center of the room, where the woman in the middle is now standing. She is wearing a well tailored suit, completely unwrinkled, and wouldn't look out of place in a boardroom or politician's office. A small briefcase sits on the table in front of her, now open. She is holding a small tuning fork in one hand a what looks like a small glass rod in the other. Rather than dying away, the sound builds until all conversation in the hall dies away.

Holding the tuning fork to her throat, she speaks. "I am Chancellor Warwick, of the Warwick mage clan. Welcome students, to Pennington's Preparatory College." Her voice is magnified throughout the room. Loud, clear, and to the point, she is obviously practiced at public speaking. "Or perhaps I should say, welcome to The Academy. You are here because of who you are, and who we are. We are the best school for the supernatural world, and we are the best because of the graduates we produce. You are werewolves, witches, warlocks, changelings, vampires... you are different from ordinary humans, but above all, you are people. You have hopes and dreams, fears, thoughts; you have choice. We provide the best possible opportunity for to grow and learn, but in the end it is your choice. You choose how to use your unique gifts and experience. Who do you choose to be?"

She pauses a moment then continues. "In the end though, your gifts bring with them an important responsibility, beyond anything else you might choose to do. The world is quick to judge, and everyone's family can remember the time when our peoples were persecuted. The Salem Witch Trials are well-known even in the mundane world, but many also remember the Estonian werewolf hunts, or the paranoia brought about by Bram Stoker's reimagining of Vlad III's unusual powers. In this modern day, it can be all the harder to remain hidden from those who fear us. Everyone carries with them a phone, a camera, and access to the internet in their pocket. It would take very little to reveal the centuries-old secret of our existence. Above all, we must remain Safe, Secret, and Secure." She had the rare gift that she could speak in capital letters.

"To this end, every student is enrolled in Passing, the course that will teach you how to remain hidden in this interconnected world. You will all learn how to use, or at least control, your amazing gifts. You will also have regular classes of the mundane variety; you don't get to avoid studying business, math, or the sciences by coming here." She pauses to let a wave of groans pass through the audience. "Gone are the days when one could live a quiet life on the edge of a village, eking out an existence by using your powers. Civilisation has grown over entire continents, and to live in public requires you be on multiple registries and tax bases. If you don't want to be living on the streets, you need to be able to find employment, and it is our pledge that we will not leave you without the tools to do so."

Nix groaned along with the others, although the thought of having classes actually thrilled her. Being home-schooled was both a blessing and a curse. One of the down sides she frequently thought on was her lack of friends. It was hard enough being home-schooled, but to also be a witch in constant need to hide her powers, her parents had offered her very little in a social life.

She wanted this: classes, peers, a future job and normal life. She wanted all of it.