“Excuse me, is this seat taken?” I looked up to see a guy standing in the aisle, pointing to the empty seat on my left. I had to lean back to see his face.
“No. Let me scoot down, it’ll be easier.” After I moved, he sat down on the end with a seat in between us.
“I’m Hudson,” he said. “Are you a first-year student?”
“I’m Sophie. Is it that obvious?” I asked. He laughed as he pulled his shoulder length black hair back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck.
“It’s my first year, too. What animal do you think you’ll be?”
“I have no idea,” I told him. “The only trait I have is great hearing. But that could be anything, right?” The thought of shifting for the first time made my blood pump. Ever since the Revealing Ceremony I had been thinking about it. What could I become? Since animage magic rarely flowed in identifiable patterns for witches and warlocks, I could be anything. My nerves began to disappear as I remembered what I was there for. I wished I didn’t have to wait a whole month for my birthday.
“What do you think you’ll be?” I asked Hudson.
“Oh, I already know,” he said. He leaned back in the chair and propped a long leg up on the seat in front of him.
“Oh, really?” I raised my eyebrow at him.
“I’m a werewolf.”
“Ah.” Werewolf animages shifted into their wolf forms which they’d had since birth. But werewolf animages had the ability to shift all the time, not just during a full moon. And they had extra magic, too.
“What pack are you from?”
“The Dwayyo pack,” he told me.
“Wow.” He’d just named the biggest pack in the eastern part of the country. Their alpha used to be on the Council. Hudson didn’t offer any other information about his pack. He shifted in his seat. I was curious why he wasn’t sitting with the other werewolves. Hudson opened his mouth to say something else, but before he could get it out, I heard someone calling my name.
“Sophie! Sophie!” I turned in my chair to see Gracie gliding toward me. I smiled and waved. She sat down in front of Hudson and me. Her huge butterfly wings were getting stares from the other students.
“It’s so good to see you!” she said. “I just got through the portal. I wasn’t allowed to come in the front like I wanted. Unless it’s Halloween, I can’t exactly walk around in public. So annoying. Why is the school in New York, anyway? You’d think it would be out in the middle of nowhere with all these animages and crazy magic running around. It’s so nice to see a friendly face. Who are you?”
She stopped and stared at Hudson. It took him a moment to realize Gracie was talking to him.
“Oh—I’m Hudson.” He reached out a hand for Gracie to shake.
“I’m Gracie. You’re a werewolf, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, how did you know?”
“New skill,” she shrugged. “I can tell what kind of supernatural someone is when I touch them.”
“Do me!” I said, sticking out my hand. Gracie laughed and shook her head.
“I already know you’re a witch. And it won’t tell me what kind of shifter you’re going to be if that’s what you’re thinking. That won’t work until after you shift.”
“Aww darn.”
“How much longer do we need to wait here?” Gracie asked. I went to look at my watch again and sighed when I realized it still wasn’t there. Hudson had on an analog watch.
“Looks like it’s five minutes until eight.”
“This is going to be so much fun!” Gracie said. “When do you guys shift for the first time?”
“My birthday is tomorrow,” Hudson said.
“So, you’ll be the first this year, no pressure.” I gave him a wink. Thankfully, shifting was one of the easiest things we would have to do at the academy. Our animal forms would come easily to us after our sixteenth birthday. Harnessing the magic of each animal was a different story, though.
Before we could say anything else, Headmistress Adiana appeared on stage. Everyone quieted down as they noticed her. Her unicorn horn sparkled in the sunlight pouring through the windows.
“Welcome, students to another year at Animage Academy. I am delighted to see the familiar and new faces among you.” Students started to clap, and the headmistress paused until the noise died down.
“Isn’t she so wonderful?” Gracie gushed.
“This is my favorite time each year. I love seeing all of you gathered here, ready to start a new year and work to develop your magic. Today we get settled and tomorrow we will begin our classes.” Someone in the back whooped. The headmistress smiled in his direction. “I can’t wait to see what amazing things each of you accomplishes this year. Returning students, you are free to return to your dorms. You will find all your bags have been delivered and your uniforms for this year awaiting you. Take today to get reacquainted with friends and the school. Tomorrow, the work begins.”
There was a rumble as most of the students in the auditorium rose from their seats and exited the auditorium out of a couple of side doors. When they left the room felt much bigger.
The headmistress waved us forward. “Come students, I promise I don’t bite.” A couple of students laughed nervously as we all made our way to the front two rows. Gracie, Hudson, and I filed in next to three girls in the second row.
“Welcome to your first year of Animage Academy. I like to speak to all the first-year students alone for a minute. It is so nice to see your bright and shiny faces. The academy is a wonderful place to live and learn. Here you will connect with your true selves through your animal and the magic it brings. It will be hard
