SWNOVELS Chapter 4: Malorsty Academy
“It is Waizlynn!” An elleth with long blonde hair and a yellow dress angrily responds in response from the middle of the yellow dressed teenage group. Sahara begins to rise to her feet now that she is free from the sticky slime. Waizlynn slides her hand on to the arm of a handsome looking ellon standing next to her, who displays no emotions on his face. Waizlynn smirks toward the elleth helping Sahara stand, “Besides, it was Brystol who gubled her, not me.”
The elleth helping Sahara shouts toward the group of teenagers, “You would think someone with such influence would not be a bully.” With her words, the group ascends the stairs toward a door that reads Second Years.The elleth rolls her eyes as steps back from Sahara and says, “Wasteland probably made him do it. She thinks because she is dating a cundu she can treat everyone badly.” Sahara remembers cundu means prince and she realizes that Brystol must be a prince. The elleth continues to speak, “That is why they put me out here though. I am Rahlee, a fourth year.”
“Hi. I am Brooklyn.” Sahara gives the wrong name on accident, but she remembers Verdiwild told her to be careful, so she decides to not correct her mistake. “What do you mean a fourth year?”
Rahlee looks oddly toward her for a moment before responding. “You know, it is your first year at the academy and so you are a first year, hence the green gown. Waizlynn and her friends are all second year, which is yellow. Third years are orange, and I am a fourth year." She tugs on the top of her red dress. "Red."
“Oh yeah, sorry.” Sahara says trying to sound as if she had just forgotten. “Got it.”
“Well, welcome to Malorsty Academy, Brooklyn.” Rahlee says with a smile before turning toward the building and pointing to a brown door on the right side. “All first years enter in that door. I will need your last name so that I can send your things to the right room.” Sahara notices Rahlee snap her fingers and cause a scroll to appear in her hands.
“Things?” Sahara looks behind her noticing a large velvet blue trunk setting on the ground. The lid of the trunk displays a golden colored shield shape with Kinderton written in the center. “Oh.” She had not noticed the trunk a few moments ago. Sahara looks back at Rahlee, “Um. Well.” Sahara knows she will have to tell her real name after all if she wishes to get into the correct room.
Rahlee looks up from the scroll in her hand. “You do have a last name, right?”
Sahara feels the blood rushing up into her cheeks. “Ashdell.” Rahlee’s eyes widen but she remains silent for an awkward moment before Sahara decides to come clean. “I am Sahara Ashdell.”
Rahlee suddenly curtsies and sounds nervous as she says, “Your royal highness. I am sorry for not recognizing you sooner. Thank you for your sacrifice.” Sahara notices Rahlee’s ears have a small point at the top of them as her hair moves.
“No!” Sahara sounds louder than she had intended, so she softens her voice, “No. Please. Don’t curtsy to me or call me that, it is just Brook...or, I mean, Sahara.” She wonders what Rahlee means about sacrifice, so she asks, “What do you mean about sacrifice?”
Rahlee looks around nervously. “You know for your parents saving us and for you living in the other world for so long. I can’t imagine being forced to live with humans.”
Sahara remembers the Craig family and how awful they treated her. “I am sorry I said my name was Brooklyn. I did not mean to lie to you, it is just my human name and the name I am used to.”
“No, it is all right. I understand.” Rahlee quickly looks through the scroll before saying, “You are in Joust Hall room J4. I will ensure your trunk is in your room.” She turns around and points at a brown door to the right side of the building that reads First Years. “First years enter there for the banquet, Aranel.”
“Thank you for your help and please, just call me Sahara.” Sahara says with a smile before she walks past Rahlee toward the first years’ door.
She feels her nerves increase as she enters through the door into an empty hallway. She looks around for a moment wondering where to go. Suddenly, a short elleth standing behind a podium appears beside her making her jump. The podium nor elleth had not been there a second ago. The small elderly elleth speaks and her voice is whiny and crackling, “All first year’s report to the banquet hall on the base floor.” Her crooked finger points to a wall causing Sahara to follow it with her eyes. “Speak your name for entry.” Sahara looks back toward the old elleth but to her surprise, she has disappeared. Sahara looks puzzled toward the wall again seeing no door to enter into. She looks further down the hall seeing no doors anywhere.
The sound of laughter above her catches her attention. She sees Waizlynn and the group that was outside on the stairs above the floor she is on. “Gailum Helitros.” An ellon in the group says plainly toward the blank wall. Sahara watches as the ellon walks through the wall and disappears. She walks towards the area the old elleth pointed to and uses her hand to feel the wall. It feels solid.
“Waizlynn Rustal.” Waizlynn says before she too disappears through the wall above.
“Theniop Quinnes.” Sahara steps back from the wall slightly as she watches the ellon in Waizlynn’s group disappear through the wall.
Sahara whispers her name toward the wall hoping the group above will not hear her, “Sahara Ashdell.” She walks toward the wall just as she had seen the others in the group above her do, but she slams into the wall and falls to the ground.
She hears laughter above her and notices Brystol leaned over the railing of the staircase looking down at her. She feels her anger grow toward the ellon as she pushes her body back up from the ground. She straightens her dress in annoyance as she scowls at Brystol. Brystol turns toward the wall and says, “Brystol Treegan.” Before he disappears into the wall, he glances down at Sahara, then points above him to a floating sign that was not there before he spoke his name. Sahara looks up above her on the wall and does not notice a sign. She looks back up to the staircase above noticing Brystol disappear in the wall and the sign disappear with him.
She looks at the wall again as she says her name clearly and a bit louder than last time, “Sahara Ashdell.” She looks up to the wall and notices a few feet away a sign appear that says Welcome. She rushes over to that section of the wall and nervously steps up toward the wall underneath the sign. She lifts her hand up toward the wall and watches it disappear. She jerks her hand back for a moment in surprise before she smiles and quickly walks through the wall.
She is now in a large banquet room filled with students. She sees three circular balconies above the floor she is on, each floor is filled with students. Hundreds of white glowing balls are slowly floating around in the center of the room high above the crowd. She looks around the base floor noticing four long golden tables filled with other students that all have on the same color of her gown. The elleth all have the exact same green dress as hers but the ellon all have on green shirts that match her dress but grey pants. She sees an empty seat toward the end of a table next to an ellon. She shyly moves over toward the empty seat glancing above her to the second-floor balcony. She sees Waizlynn and her group looking down at her laughing. She tries to ignore the group as she arrives to the empty seat.
“Hi. I am Creegah.” The ellon says toward Sahara as she sits down at the table across from him. “This is Phylan,” he points to the ellon sitting next to him, “and Mecca.” He points toward the elleth sitting next to Sahara.
“I am...” She wonders if she should use Brooklyn again, and she decides she had better until she knows her roommates. “Brooklyn.” She smiles at them.
“What room are you in?” Mecca smiles at her looking hopeful.
Sahara replies, “I am in Joust Hall, room J4.”
Mecca’s face saddens. “C7.”
“Joust Hall?” Sahara asks.
“All the elleths are in Joust Hall.” Phylan answers. “Ellons are in Flynn Hall.”
“The letters are for the floor you are on.” Mecca says with a sigh.
“Oh.” Sahara says.
“Oh look!” Creegah points toward the front of the room to a stage filled with older elves dressed in graduation like gowns. “It is Headoreon Shawdlortur.” Sahara finds the names here to be odd, but she tries not to laugh.
“Oh yes. It is his first year as the Headoreon of Malorsty.” Mecca straightens her back in interest. “He was the Headoren of Unigorsty for nine years, but the elders moved him here this year.”
“What does Headoreon mean?” Sahara wonders aloud hoping for some clarification on what they were talking about.
The three elves turn their eyes toward her surprised by her question. Phylon finally answers after she begins to blush, “The leader of the school.”
“Oh, like the principal?” Sahara asks for further clarification but the three pair of eyes upon her look more confused by her question.
“Huh?” Phylon hums out in confusion.
“Where are you from?” Creegah asks in interest.
Sahara is relieved she does not have a chance to answer the question because a loud voice suddenly echoes through the large room. “Welcome to Malorsty Academy!” The tall older looking ellon announces as he stands on a stage at the front of the banquet hall. “For the first years that do not know me, I am Leavint, Headoreon of Malorsty and I would like to introduce the new joint Headoreon of Malorsty, Shawdlortur” The crowd of students begin to murmur amongst themselves.
“Joint?” Phylon says in a surprised whisper, “Since when do we need two Headoreons?”
“I did not know Leavint was staying.” Creegah responds in a whisper.
Leavint shouts over the speculating mumbles of the students, “Silence!” The room quickly grows quiet. “For the first-year students,” Leavint scans the base floor as he speaks, “I would like to introduce the saitars.” His hand moves out toward the elves seated behind him on the stage. Sahara dare not ask her new table mates what saitars mean. “Saitar Herglis is over the instruction of spell knowledge.” An older elleth in a black graduation like gown stands to her feet. Her grey hair is pinned up beneath her pointed black cap that has a feather standing up on the side. Sahara realizes that saitar must mean professor as Leavint continues, “Saitar Hugis is the instructor of thought magic.” A short chubby ellon with a long-braided beard stands up next to Saitar Herglis, only reaching to her shoulders. “Saitar Blued is the instructor of emotional magic.” A younger handsome ellon stands causing the elleth students to hum with interest and straighten up their postures as they appear to swoon. Sahara snickers at Mecca’s blushed cheeks, she does not understand why the elleth seem to find Saitar Blued so attractive. “Saitar Truger instructs elfism.” Another older ellon sitting next to the standing Saitar Blued waves to the students but does not stand. Sahara moves her head around the heads of the other students to look at Saitar Truger. She notices he sits in a wheelchair and looks much older than any of the other elves she has met. Leavint continues, “Plorksol is led by Saitar Bleavins, who also instructs beastism.” A strange looking elleth dressed in a graduation type of gown made of black feathers stands. Sahara cannot help but wonder why her gown is made of feathers while all the other saitar on stage have cloth gowns. She wonders if it has something to do with the plorksol or beastism, both of which she has no clue what mean. “Saitar Delorvis instructs humanism.” A beautiful younger elleth stands and now Sahara notices all the males in the room shuffle in their seats and take notice of Saitar Delorvis. “And Saitar Regald instructs mystical combat.” The last ellon sitting on the stage stands and nods sharply one time toward the students. He seems angered or possibly annoyed, Sahara thinks to herself. “On behalf of all of us here at Malorsty Academy, we bid each of you welcome to a new year.”
Leavint lifts both of his hands into the air causing food to suddenly appear on the tables in front of the students. A long table volts up from the floor in front of the saitars on the stage that matches the students’ tables.
Sahara had never seen such beautifully displayed food. She had not eaten all day and feels famished, but she was accustomed to being hungry. The students laugh and talk as they begin to eat the feast.
A sudden whooshing sound and flash of light flies just over the heads of the first year students on the base floor. Sahara ducks down in fright. Loud music begins to play as the flash of light stops in front of the room over the stage. The rod of light rolls down like a scroll, appearing to be a large holographic television. Students are on the screen flying around on what appears to be surfboards playing with a ball in the air. “What is that?” Sahara asks her table mates.
“Plorksol try outs.” Phylon says excitedly. Sahara realizes the game they are playing must be called plorksol. “I have been practicing the past two years to make the team. Anyone else trying out?”
Mecca looks repulsed by the sport as she replies, “No way.”
Creegah shrugs his shoulders with his words, “I don’t see the point because first years never get play time.”
Mecca motions up toward the second floor annoyed, “Unless you’re Brystol.”
“Royals and their privileges.” Phylon chimes in with a snarl and it causes Sahara to feel uncomfortable knowing she is a royal as well.
Creegah takes to Brystol’s defense, “He is the best player on the team, so it is not all privilege based.”
Mecca and Phylon don’t look convinced, but they agree in unison, “He is good.”
“How about you Brooklyn?” Phylon asks hopefully toward Sahara. “Tryouts are tomorrow, and I would love a tryout buddy.”
Sahara looks around nervously, knowing she knows nothing of the sport. The only time she had ever played a sports game was when Trina needed to practice for soccer, and she had to play. “I am not much into sports.”
“You don’t have to be good; you just have to make me look good.” Phylon smiles toward her.
“Well,” Sahara knows she will make a fool of herself if she tries out. “I don’t even know anything about plorska, or plorsaka.”
“Plorksol.” The three say in unison.
“Plorksol.” She repeats them trying to memorize the unfamiliar word.
“Are you a wilderness elleth?” Mecca asks curiously. “Like from Televia?”
Sahara is not sure what Mecca means, “No.”
“I have never met a wilderness elleth, but I hear they don’t know many of our ways.” Mecca explains.
“So, will you try out with me?” Phylon’s words cause Sahara to look back toward him.
“Yes.” She blurts out the word just trying to avoid further conversation about where she is from.
“Yes!” Phylon throws his arms up in the air triumphantly. “Meet me at the field at seven so we can warm up?”
Sahara knows she needs to more than warm up, she needs to learn the game. “Sounds perfect.”
Sahara tries to not hum with pleasure of every bite she takes. The food was more amazing than anything she had ever tasted. The other students do not seem to notice or be enjoying the food as much. Sahara is starting to feel full when Headoreon Shawdlortur stands up from the saitar’s banquet table and announces, “Dessert is now served.” He nods his head one time gently and the food on the tables change from meats and vegetables to a wide spread of desserts.
The students all hum with excitement at the sight of the hundreds of sugary treats. Sahara feels her stomach grumble and she realizes she might have eaten too much. “You don’t look so good Brooklyn.” Mecca’s words cause Sahara to look around the room for an exit.
“Where is the bathroom?” She holds her stomach as it grumbles again with an ache.
“I will show you.” Mecca says as she stands from the table. Sahara quickly follows Mecca through the wall into the hall she was in earlier. She did not have to say her name to exit. She notices a door standing open that has sinks and bathroom stalls lined up inside. She darts around Mecca and runs into the room ignoring Mecca’s words, “No that’s the wrong...” Sahara quickly finds a stall and falls to her knees expelling the contents of her stomach.
A knock on her stall door and an ellon’s voice startles her, “I say, are you alright?” She uses toilet paper to wipe her mouth trying to curve her nerves. More ellon voices enter the room and she mentally kicks herself for not listening to Mecca before she darted into the wrong room.
One of the other voices in the room catch her attention, “Hey Brystol. Waizlynn is looking for you. She wants to tell you good night before going to the dorms.” Sahara sighs quietly as she throws her head back in embarrassment, of course Brystol is here.
To her horror the voice outside her stall replies, “Just a minute.” He knocks on her stall door again. “Are you alright now?”
Sahara holds her breath not sure how she will ever get out of this situation with some dignity left. She stands there motionless for a moment feeling her insides wilting from the situation. With a deep breath, she decides to just confidently open the door in silence and exit the room. Brystol’s surprised expression as he steps back from the door causes her to nod politely towards him. The other ellons in the room also look surprised by seeing an elleth in their restroom before they begin to laugh at her. She quickens her pace out of the room never turning back to see the ellons teasing her. Mecca gives her a sideways gritted teeth smile as they reunite in the hallway. “I tried to tell you.” She says with a shrug of her shoulders. “The elleth’s room is there.” She points to a door a few feet away.
Sahara grits her teeth in anguish as she hears Brystol’s voice again, “Hey, wait.” Sahara pulls Mecca with her trying to escape in the opposite direction of Brystol’s voice. “Pukey!” He shouts down the hall and his nickname for her angers her, but she tries to keep moving. Sahara notices Mecca looks uncomfortable with the situation. “Hey.” Brystol says again as he touches Sahara on the arm. Sahara turns around slowly, deliberately keeping her eyes to the ground to hide her emotions. Brystol speaks again, "I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You didn't sound too good in there."
"Yes." Sahara says shortly before continuing, "Fine."
"Your Royal Highness." Mecca sounds bubbly as she speaks toward Brystol with a curtsy. "I am Mecca."
"It's Brystol." He responds and Sahara can feel his eyes on her as if he wants her to bow to him too. She remains silent with her eyes looking sideways to the wall hoping he would just walk away.
Mecca points toward Sahara as she says, "Pukey here, is Brooklyn." Sahara quickly looks over toward Mecca in annoyance that she is referring to her as pukey. "What?" Mecca asks innocently toward Sahara's sour expression.
Brystol laughs at them, and Sahara is less than amused. She looks him squarely in the eye as she suddenly blurts out, "I will not bow to you." He was the one that caused her to fall earlier when she first arrived and then laughed at her for not being able to go through the wall. Now, she has a new nickname, pukey. She is certain she does not like this ellon.
Mecca elbows her in the side with a scolding tone, "Brooklyn, he is the Cundu of Holestroy."
Sahara smiles sarcastically, "I don't care." Then she turns away from Brystol and begins to walk down the hall back towards the banquet room entrance.
"You are brave. And you are lucky we are in school because if you had done that out in society, he could punish you." Mecca says quietly as she catches up to Sahara.
Sahara rolls her eyes knowing she is an equal rank with him and that it is only polite to bow to him but not required of her. "Not likely." She looks over her shoulder seeing Waizlynn trying to talk to Brystol as he glances towards Sahara. She quickly turns her focus back to the direction she is walking.
The hallway grows louder with green dressed first year student's voices as they begin to crowd around Sahara and Mecca, exiting the banquet room. "Time to find our rooms." Mecca sighs, "I hope we have good roommates."
"Did your family pick your roommates?" Sahara asks remembering Verdiwild telling her how her roommates were chosen.
"What?" Mecca laughs awkwardly as she asks, "Why would they do that?"
"I don't know." Sahara shrugs off the question. "How many roommates do we have?"
"Four to a room." Mecca responds as they follow the group of elleth out of the main hallway and up a side staircase.
As they arrive to the second floor, an elleth at the front of the group wearing a red colored gown stops the group from moving. She turns toward them and announces, "Second, third, and fourth floors are classrooms." She then proceeds to guide the group up the stairs to the fifth floor. She again stops on the fifth floor so that the group can see a group of first year ellon gathered on the opposite side of the hallway. The red dressed elleth speaks again, "This floor contains the rec hall for students as well as the library. This floor is the only entrance to the living quarters. Joust Hall is here," She points to the staircase behind her. "Where all elleth are housed." She then points toward the group of ellon. "Ellon reside in Flynn Hall where the entrance is on the opposite side. It is not allowed for ellon to enter Joust Hall nor for elleth to enter Flynn Hall." She continues to speak as she enters the Joust Hall doorway, "Each hall also has its own rec rooms on the sixth floor designated only for those in the hall."
A low rumbling sound causes Sahara to look around the guiding elleth to the small empty room she is entering. The wall moves out toward them until a staircase forms. They proceed up the newly presented staircase past the sixth-floor rec room and to the seventh floor. "This is floor A." The guide points to the letter A floating above the door. "The next will be floor B, then C, and so on." She steps to the side of the staircase as she continues, "Find your rooms. Curfew is in one hour so save your exploring the grounds for free day tomorrow."
"Well, see ya around Brooklyn." Mecca turns excitedly toward Sahara as they arrive to floor C. "I will come cheer you and Phylan on tomorrow for try outs."
Sahara smiles at her teasingly. "Then you will get to see me embarrass myself again."
Mecca laughs in response. "Night." Sahara smiles at her before Mecca disappears into floor C.