By Maria Kuklina
Chapter 1
“Juniper darling, can you come here for a second?” I hear mom’s voice echoing up the stairs I was sitting on. “Sure, give me a minute.” I say getting up to put my book in my room.
When I’m done, I go downstairs to see what my mom wants. But she isn’t there. I was expecting that though. I weave around the pot in our kitchen for potion making. I check the garden and there, kneeling down to pull out the dandelions to make tea for later, is my mom.
Oh, that’s where she went, I think. “Mom!” I yell, but I don’t think she hears me. Her hearing hasn’t been great lately.
She looks up. “Oh Juniper! There you are,” she says. Her beautiful blue eyes shift to look at me, and they remind me of the deep blue lake across the forest that both of us go to in the summer. Some people might think her eyes look scary, but once you get to know her they are kind and anything but scary.
“Can you run to Mr. Vera’s store to grab some more seeds for me? You know that not many people understand that dandelions make tea.” She always tells me that, and I know that dandelions can make seeds, but I love hearing her calming, soft voice. “Yeah sure mom!” I yell because I am already halfway out the door and I want her to hear me.
I love the path to the market from my house. So many different plants, even some Juniper bushes, which is my name’s sake. The scene is beautiful: redwood trees with their thick trunks, maples which we tap in the early spring months, and the sun which is barely visible through the branches. I just love nature so much.
When I get to Mr. Vera’s store, I walk up the creaky and old walnut stairs that I had walked up thousands of times before. It reminds me of a time when I was little, when Mom had brought me to his store for the first time. It was a time when her hair was a deep brown instead of silvery gray, and the creases in her skin were not as deep as they are now. The forest was thicker, and it had more trees than now. I really hate deforestation.
“Hello Juniper!” Mr. Vera’s voice rings out, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Hello Mr. Vera, I’m here fo-”
“For dandelion seeds I’m guessing.” he says, cutting me off.
“Ha, yeah.” I laugh, that’s just Mr. Vera’s sense of humor.
I pull out the money I will need but I hear a nice “No need, these are on the house,” From Mr. Vera. I love the nice person he is, but in the condition he lives in, I HAVE to give him the payment for the seeds. “ I know the condition your mother is in and you will need all the money you can get to pay for her cancer treatment.” At that I wince and my eyes well up with tears.
Just keep back the tears, Juniper. Focus, you just came here for the seeds. I try to convince myself. I don’t know what to say.. Should I give the money to Mr. Vera or save it for my mom?
Before I give him the money for the seeds, he walks to the back of his old, run-down shop.
When he comes back, I see a painting of a Victorian house with hyacinths growing in the front yard.
“This,” he says, “Is a painting made by my daughter. She’s.. In a better place now, but she was a very talented artist. She drew a painting of our old house back in California.” I shiver. I had seen her only once that I can remember, on her deathbed. She had died from pneumonia, and I remember Mr. Vera’s teary face as he sobbed on the floor. But mom said she loved me when she was… I can’t take this from him. It is one of the last things he has of her!
“No! I can’t take the seeds and your daughter’s painting!” I say.
What is he trying to do, get rid of all of her stuff? His valuable goods? He’s already super poor and has nothing left… The thought makes my eyes water again. This is the saddest trip to Mr. Vera’s shop I have ever had.
“Can I just have the seeds please?” My voice quivers. I tried to plaster a smile on my face and hide the sadness in my voice, but I think Mr. Vera knows me too well.
The expression on his face makes me even more sad.
“Okay.. Here are the seeds, dear. Take good care of yourself!” That’s his famous phrase, ‘Take good care of yourself.’
“T-thank you,” I say quietly.
I try to leave without acting like I want to get out of here as fast as I can. When I exit out the door, I run the fastest I’ve ever ran. I had to get out of there.
“Juniper! What took you so long?” my mom asks. I thought of telling her but decided not to, I don’t want to have one of those long mother-daughter talks.
“Just talking with Mr. Vera.” I lied but it’s not a complete lie I tell myself. Mom has strict rules in the house about not lying. But you can’t really get anywhere without lying.
I know what she’s going to say next. “How is he? I hope he is okay. He is getting old, you know.”
Don’t remind me, I saw him with my own eyes five minutes ago, I think.
“Something came in the mail for you. And it isn’t from Panelope!” she grinned at me. Is she excited that I don’t have friends? “Maybe it’s from that school you wanted to get into!”
No, it can’t be… this is just mom trying to cheer me up, right?
She gives me an envelope that had small cursive letters on it that read: To Juniper Barlowe.
My mom sees my pale hands shaking but continues to grin. I don’t want to look at her right now. This is a big moment. I hesitate to pick up the white envelope and when I finally get enough courage, I open it slowly.
Dear Juniper Barlowe,
You are invited to Peonenes Potionolage school. You have a scholarship that covers 80% of costs,the rest must be paid in the next seven months. You are invited to come to campus on July 28th at 4:15pm. Your dorm is room 136. Please take notice you will be sharing a room, and don’t be late. And don’t come out of your dorm at night. Leaving your dorm under any circumstance could lead to you being expelled. Also, sightings of mysterious creatures have been spotted in the Northwoods, so remember to seal your windows. Don’t forget to bring a bag, some clothes, and we will send you a letter soon with everything you need for yourself here at Peonenes Potionolage school. All pets must be Registered at the front office.
Kindest regards, Mrs. Helianthus Annuus.
I read aloud, my eyes welling with tears of happiness. My eyes go blurry, I sniffle and my salty tears dot the paper. Mom comes over and hugs me. “80%! I won’t have to pay that much to keep you in school!” she exclaims.
“I know.” I sob. July 28th, in twenty three days..
I smile into her shoulder. “Mom?” I asked.
“Hm?”
“I noticed that we were running low on mushrooms and stuff so could I go and find more? Just to help out.” She pulls back my long chestnut hair so different from the white streaking her own wavy hair. I notice that I haven’t brushed it in a while.
“Yes, that would help out a lot, thank you.” She says, “Go head to the bedroom. You can get up bright and early to gather those herbs.” She smiles, her deep blue eyes staring intently at me.
“Yeah I’ll head to bed!” I say, running up the stairs to get my jammies on and go to bed.
Chapter 2
When I wake up the sun isn’t even up. I creep down the stairs to not wake mom. I even skip the third step to avoid making a loud noise. When I get to the kitchen I get a few potions, I stop, and grab a fire potion just in case. I open the door as quietly as I can so as not to wake mom and I am off.
I am looking for some wild black berries. There should be a bush not far from here.
“Aha! There you ar-“I say but my voice dies when I see the fox tangled in the prickly vines.
I run over to try and help, but it is only hurting itself more, moving in quick, sharp movements.
“Hold still!” I yell. But obviously it can’t understand me. It stops moving though, so that’s a start. I take out the fire potion flask and put a little drop and the vine sizzles, but so does a little bit of the foxes fur and a little bit of my hands.
“Ouch!” I yell as the fox painfully winces and I grab my hand. I look up at the fox and get a better look at it. It has a fiery red coat with some scratch marks on its left hip. Well, I know that foxes have ‘red’ fur, but this fox has fur that is more redder than red. This guy’s fur is red like fire and its tail fans out like a flower.. Like a lily! “ You’re an elemental!” I whisper loudly under my breath. It looks up at me and tugs at my hand with the burns with its mouth.
“Oh?” I say holding my hand out to it.
What if it’s just a fox and it has rabies? Should I be letting him do this? I ask myself. Mom always told me never to touch wild animals in the forest. But this guy is different…
It licks my wounds and when the burns disappear, it rests its head on my hand.
My mouth hangs open.
“Whoa.. How did you… Ahem, w-well I’d really like to stay and pet you, but I have to gather some herbs and mushrooms for dinner and for my mom.” I whisper to the fox.
What am I doing talking to a fox? Wow Juniper, so smart, talking to an animal that can’t understand me, no wonder I only got accepted to school now.
It perks its ears up and looks at me. And proceeds to say, “Oh I can help! I know this forest like the back of my hind leg!” My entire brain reloads. What.
“Did I break you? Oh no. I’m not supposed to talk to humans.. Why do I always have to ruin the moment?” the fox says. The fox can talk.. holy shamrock. I swallow.
“Whoa whoa whoa.. Don’t.. Don’t worry..you’re a fox elemental that can talk?” I say in exasperation. I try to replay what just happened, but I already forget.
“Yeah! now we should probably get those herbs for you mother!” It suggests. The fox heard me talk about my mother? I swallow hard.
“Yeah, uh, I will gather the blackberries and leave.” I order.
“Then I’ll come too!” it says. “What do we need?”
“Um, blackberries, chicken of the woods, and some Yarrow,” I explain to it.
“Alright! I will help! I know all of the best spots. ”
I take out a poorly sewn bag and start collecting. The fox mostly gets the berries from the bottom vines and I take some of the higher ones it can’t reach. Always remember, Juniper, don’t take too much from mother nature. She loves you so you love her. She loves giving her flowers and berries to us but you have to honor her by simply leaving some for other creatures to enjoy. She loves all of us and in return we love her. I remember mom telling me. I love mom.
“This is enough for what my mom needs them for, let’s go.” I say to the fox.We’ve taken enough, I added to myself.
“Okay!” the fox says walking along side me
“I know a place where we can get chicken of the woods,” I say.
“Y’know I’ve been meaning to ask you, why are we looking for a chicken in the woods? Are you hunting? I mean I can understand hunting, but why not get them from your ‘store of groceries’?” it asks
“Oh!” I laugh, “Chicken of the Woods is a kind of mushroom that is edible,” I explain.
“Oh… I was kinda excited to eat some chicken…” It (he? I might just use him from now on) he says sounding a little disappointed.
“Um, it tastes like chicken? If that makes you feel better?” I say to try to make him feel a little better. “And we have chicken at my house if you want.”
At that his ears perk up. “Can I? Please? Can I?”
I smile. “ Yeah sure, but I need to get the herbs and stuff.” I tell him.
On that note we leave and go find the mushrooms.
When me and the fox (still haven’t decided on his name )(does he even have a name? I don’t know.) get there, we decided to get the chicken of the woods then get some Yarrow. Don’t take too much. Moms voice rings through my head.
“So how long will it take to get to these chickens?” the fox says startling me from my thoughts.
“Ha!” I laugh “Chicken of the Woods, that’s the name of the mushroom and only…” I trailed off, calculating in my head. “5 minutes.”
He blinked blankly at me “What is a minute?”
“Uhhh…” I have no idea how to answer that “A measurement of time?”
“Okay! I’m so excited!” he exclaims. He is always so energetic and positive it’s kind of endearing. And annoying.
“Oh!” I say, a bit too loud. “We’re here!” I yell, making him wince from the sudden volume.
I rush over, to the fallen oak where the non-toxic mushrooms lay. They are leafs (?) laying on top of each other like shelves.
“Ok let’s gather them up and pick the Yarrow.” and so I picked the mushrooms and the fox picked the Yarrow growing in the small clearing pretty close so I can watch him but also while doing my own thing. What if mom doesn’t let me keep him? No, Juniper don’t think like that! Mom will understand, right?
“I’m done!” I hear a voice call to me. “Hey, I just realized that we don’t know each other well. I don’t have a name but I want to know yours!” I pause. He doesn’t have a name?
“I am Juniper…” I trailed off.
“What’s wrong?” he asked. I could hear that tone in his voice, the one my mother used in order to cheer me up as a baby.
“It just doesn’t feel right, Y’know?” I say.
“Hm… maybe, I wouldn’t know I’ve never had one.”
Maybe I can give him a name, a voice in the back of my mind suggested.
“I could give you a name.. If you want.” I say even against my better judgement.
His ears perk up and his eyes went wide “Can you? Please?” he says and I feel bad for getting his hopes up. I’m probably going to ruin the moment by giving him a name he doesn’t like.
“I’ll think about it.” I smile “we should get back to the house. It is about noon and I have been here since early morning.”
When I get home, I yell “Mom?” and the foxes’ ears flatten against his head. “Are you here?”
He had made a bed for himself on my neck like a scarf.
“In the kitchen darling.” she yells back. “You sure took your time getting those materials.”
“Haha…” I laugh nervously, my heart beating out of my chest. I felt like it was going to jump out of my ribcage. “I guess you could say I got you the best!”
“Okay..” she laughed suspiciously. I knew that she wouldn’t buy my lie. “Just drop them off in the kitchen and come here, I want to talk to you for a second!”
Is that a good ‘I want to talk to you for a second’ or a bad one? I thought. Well, it can’t be that bad, right?
When I get to the kitchen, I deposit the Yarrow into a long, narrow jar with the same kind of herb. Then I take out one mason jar and a box, and I put the wild blackberries in the mason jar and Chicken of the Woods in the black box. We’ve had these boxes for so many decades..
Then, I go to the living room to see mom. With the fox still wrapped around my neck, I can feel his tiny heart beating about the same speed as mine. It makes me want to laugh.
“Juniper? Are you alright? You look tired. ” Mom called for me again, throwing my train of thought off its tracks.
“Yeah I’m good…” I say
I walk into the living room to face my demise, my head hanging.
“Oh…” she says, seeing me and my new friend “Who… Is this?”
I raise my head and study her face but it isn’t angry, her face is unreadable.
“A fox…” I say and she raises a brow at me.
“Well, I can see that!” She smiles at me. I’m surprised she didn’t tell me to throw him out. “It’s a fire lily elemental. What I don’t understand is, that kind of fire lily is native to Africa! You remember we saw them when we went to Africa that one summer…” Her voice quivered and she trailed off.
“Yes, I remember.” I say quietly.
“And a good witch should have a familiar.” she says. Her blue eyes twinkle.
“How does someone get a familiar?” I ask
“Haha!” she laughs. “you don’t ‘get’ a familiar. The familiar choses you.”
“And how do you know if a familiar choses you?” I ask, though I think I already know the answer.
“Well…” she says “You can communicate with them and…” she trails off again. Why does she keep trailing off? Her speaking skills are getting worse..
“And?”
“I don’t know, I’ve never had a familiar…” she says wistfully.
There is a long, long silence. “I am going to make myse- us some food and take a nap. Love you!” I call walking through the door frame into the kitchen.
Chapter 3
“Okay, so mom seems to like you.” I whisper to the magical fox on my lap.
“Yeah it seems she likes me a lot! She must be a great mom! ” Aspen says.
“ Yeah, she is..” I say quietly, fiddling with the zipper on my sweater.
How can I mentally prepare for tomorrow? I have to head to school! A prestigious school for rich kids! And we’re not the richest either, not a cent to our names. I’m going to need to make new friends, and how am I going to leave my poor mom alone here?
Aspen furrows his brows “Hey, it’ll be okay! There won’t be many people with a Fire Lily Fox Elemental thingy right?” He asks it like a real question. I don’t have the answer for that.
“I don’t know…” I say, digging my face into a pillow.
“We should get to bed, you don’t want to be the kid who is grumpy on the first day!” he chirped.
“Yeah.” I mumble and go to bed.
I am swimming through a black sea, pressure pushing on me from all sides. I’m swimming blind. What am I going to do? Should I really go to this school? Should I stay home and help my mom? She’s getting worse by the minute. “But it’s my dream to go to this school.” I call out into the deafening voices. Am I being selfish? Water is filling my lungs as I scream. Should I stay home and stay with mom? I’m being so selfish going to this school. My dreams are selfish, mom is already suffering with cancer, who will help gather materials for her potions? Who will help her make food for herself? who wil-
“Juniper! Wake up!” a voice calls, waking me from my nightmare.
Groggily I open my eyes and see Aspen looking at me, his face creased with worry. I chose to name my fox Aspen.
“I’m fine Aspen, really I am,” I say putting on a sweet but fake smile and I know from the look in his eyes that he can tell I am lying. I won’t tell him how I really feel. “Well, mom called for you about 5 minutes ago.” he says, abruptly changing the subject. Thank you for that, I think to myself.
When I get up I realize that I slept in my clothing. And I didn’t even take a shower! Was I really that tired that I slept in my clothes AND didn’t shower? Oh well, I should change and go downstairs and eat before doing whatever mom wants from me.
For my outfit, I picked some old, patched-up jean shorts that somehow still fit. I also chose a brown shirt that also had patches on it, and the letters on it read Northwoods, 1996. It had a picture of huge pine trees and some birds flying.
But, on the left side of the shirt, my mom’s faded signature rested on a green patch. I suddenly realize that mom hadn’t looked at my clothes in a long time, and I hadn’t seen her signature in forever.
I took one last look at myself in the mirror, and head downstairs to the dining room.
There, I see mom sitting at the table waiting for me, bouncing her knee.
“Hey mom!” I shout. The excitement in my voice was hard to hide, but so was the sadness. After all, I was leaving today, no exceptions.
“Hey darling! I was getting worried when neither you nor Aspen came when I called you.” Aspen curls close to my neck with a small yawn. He jumps down softly and struts over to eat some chicken laying on the floor in a bowl. While he eats, I pet his big ears. I sit down in an old wooden chair painted with a deep green that had faded over the years. “You have to pack your clothes today. But don’t worry, I already packed you some ingredients for potions.” I look in the direction of the bag, a beautiful leather satchel and inside it has the blackberries I picked yesterday. I looked at mom and see a twinkle in her eye, one that I see so rarely. It looks like she’s excited. I look at the bag and feel my heart swell. Why is mom doing this? I don’t need this, it’s not like I’m going on my own- wait, I got accepted. How can I just remember now? And also, since when do we have such fancy things? I look at the satchel again and feel my eyes go blurry again and rush to my room.
Mom does so much for me, I need to help her more. But I’m leaving!
I grab all my clothes that I want: some pants, shirts, socks, sweatshirts and a coat with my name embroidered on and grab the book I was reading. Oh, and my sketchbook. I take one last look around. The flowers embroidered on my walls, dream catchers, deer antler bones, and my soft, warm bed all look like they’re saying goodbye with their dust. dye I whisper as I head into the car. As we drive Aspen sleeps on my lap, and his calm breath mixed with the hum of the car lulls me to sleep.
Chapter 4
“You two, wake up! We’re almost there!” a voice cuts through the peaceful quiet of my dreams. It had been a long time since I had such a good dream.
I half open my eyes “Huh?” I say slowly. Aspen slowly flicks his tail on my leg and I fully open my eyes and take in my surroundings. I look out the window and see in the distance an old looking school with vines growing along the walls. I’m guessing that’s the main building. There are two more buildings along the sides of the main building with the same kind of vines growing along the old bricks. There’s a sign that displays ‘New students please check in at the main office.’
But the school isn’t the only good part. All around us, there are tall pine trees, just like on my shirt. Their trunks are thick, and tons of pinecones and pine needles are scattered on the ground. I can imagine what it smells like out there, probably that tree sap, maybe a grill…
Suddenly I crave some potatoes with grilled bacon or chicken. I wonder if the school hosts grilling nights or things like that.
“That looks like the place we need to go!” Mom tells us. I can’t help but grin when I read the hanging sign. I imagine it is just for me.
The parking lot is pretty full but it’s not impossible to find a place to park. When we park I fly out of the car and I’m practically bouncing on my heels. “Let’s go check into the office, We have to get that familiar of yours registered.” Mom smiles at me. My excitement is overpowering the fact that mom will have to leave me here soon.
I help her warm hands out of the car and we walk to the main entrance.
“Name?” a high nasal voice echoes. Is that for me? I decide to just answer it. I don’t want anybody to be mad at me.
“J-Juniper Barlowe. And this is m-my familiar Aspen,” I say shakily.
Don’t make a fool of yourself, Juniper. I remind myself. I can’t have myself be named as the ‘shy girl’ or the ‘quiet kid.’
She checks her list and marks something with her green pen. “Thank you for telling us, so many people always forget to tell us. Your dorm is room 136 in the girls dormitory.” I blink at her. “The one on the left” she says to my obviously confused face. My heart is pounding hard, so I bite my lip.
I thank the nice lady and begin to walk away, but she stops me. I almost trip on my own leg. The woman writes something on a piece of white paper and gives it to me. ‘Juniper’ is written on a laminated name tag. Then, I walk away for her to tend to the next person in line.
Phew, I exhale. I feel like I held my breath the entire time.
When I get to my dorm I see someone already sitting on one of the wooden beds sewing something. They have overalls with a green sweatshirt underneath, and both the overalls and the sweatshirt have patches of all shapes, sizes, colors and patterns. It looks like they were splattered with paint in little patches. On most people it would look too cluttered, but on them, it looks perfect. Their eyes are fixed on the little patches they are sewing. Their eyes are white like ice. I’ve never seen someone with white eyes like that.
They’re so good! Way better than me!
And then, I ruin their focus. Something I dread happens and I do it.
“Um? Hello?” I say. Why did I do that? Am I stupid? I try to make my words sound confident, but I’m pretty sure I sound about as confident as a rabbit that’s about to get eaten.
“Oh!” they exclaim. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t hear you come in!” They apologize. They put their sewing down and I can see all the intricate details on the patches they’re making.
“It’s okay, really.” I say trying to calm them down, and surprisingly they do calm down.
I look around a shelf full of gems; Red, blue, white, and all sorts of colors. “I like your fox.” They comment. I’m startled and almost ask them ‘what fox’, but then Aspen jumps down to go sniff at the new girl. How did I forget about him? He sniffs their hair, which I finally look at; some grey and white wisps mixed in a majestic yellow. “My name is Dandelion,” she says, “Wow, that’s kind of funny. You really look like a dandelion.” I add, not thinking about how that can be really offensive.
‘You look like a dandelion’. Really Juniper? Really?
She chuckles “Don’t worry, it’s okay, I know” and she sees me glance up at her gems. “Oh, those? That’s the way I do witchcraft; I use the crystals! But I’m not that good…” She says, looking back down in her hands, cheeks blushing a bit. I take out a potion bottle and show her. “Me too! I use these potions!” I exclaim, a little too excited. A smile spreads across her face and she points over to the bed next to her. I walk over and start unloading my stuff, placing my potion stuff sort of like hers. Then, I see a small little bookshelf, full of books, plants, potions, gems, and just magic. I see a note saying the school said they hoped we enjoyed them. I run over to start reading when I hear a knock on the door. I see Dandelion run over and open the door. It’s just the school teacher, who simply came to remind us about some rules. “Remember to shut your doors and seal your windows. And no leaving past eight, you’d know this if you”-she looked at Dandelion, who was blushing on her bed- “Read the letter we sent you. There are some dangerous animals out there.” The woman looked genuinely scared when she said that part. Then, she changed into her normal, cheery tone. “Anyways, dinner will be in an hour. The cafeteria closes at 7:45!” and then she walks away. I saw her wearing an apron which looked pretty new, because it only had a few grey dust marks on the front.
Now that I can really take in the room, I see windows next to both of our beds. Dandelion already has some plants and crystals on the sill. Speaking of Dandelion, she is perched on her bed sewing again and for some reason, I don’t even think before I speak, and I ask: “Hey, what are you sewing?”
“Hm? Oh I’m just sewing another patch onto a new sweatshirt!” she answers quickly. I probably shouldn’t be interrupting her, but something about her voice and just overall personality makes me want to talk to her more.
“Do you rip your clothes that often?” I ask, then I see her face darken. Oh no. I quickly add, “Uh. I’m sorry.”
“No!” She says quickly “I just think they look cool,” they say and then they add, “I also rip them a lot… sorry.”
Why is she apologizing? She did nothing wrong!
“Hey, Juniper! I like her! She’s super cool and nice!” Aspen says excitedly.
“Aspen!” I hiss. “Shush!”
For some reason, I don’t want Aspen to talk about her right now.
Dandelion stops petting him, looking at me intently. “Wait, is this cutie your familiar?” she asks, sounding a little… Jealous?
“Uh, yeah..! But don’t worry, you’ll probably get one too one day soon!” I say hopefully. Maybe she’ll feel better. After all, she’s way better at sewing and patch-making than me.
“Yeah maybe.” she says with a small smile, her white eyes shining like stars. I check my watch and see that an hour has already passed. “Oh Shamrock! It’s time for dinner!” I say mostly to myself but also to make Dandelion follow me. We walk out and I realize that:
1) Dandelion is tall, not too tall but taller than me.
2) I haven’t eaten all day and I’m starving.
3) I haven’t showered in two days.
When we arrive at the cafeteria, we see a whole lot of boys and girls, and some people look like famous magicians and explorers. I want to be friends with all of them.
For dinner I got some fish, rice and apples. I remember that mom told me that apples are really good for your growth and overall health. Whenever I eat them, they remind me of her. I miss her so much.
We get our food and go back to our dorm where we eat at our dining table. The food is surprisingly good for school food. At the table, we talk about our lives. Where we’re from, our lives outside of school, our likes and dislikes, that kind of thing. I learned so much about Dandelion, and she’s actually a pretty interesting person. Her voice is so… Indescribable. It’s very different from mine or anyone I’ve ever heard. But I like hearing it. I think I’ve found a new friend.
After dinner, I take a nice, calming warm shower. After that, I’m so tired after the long drive and all the stress and talking, so It’s good to lay down and let my voice and legs rest for a little bit.
“Good night, Juniper.”
“Good night, Dandelion.”
Chapter 5
In the morning, my legs and arms are so sore, I feel like yesterday I ran an entire marathon.
While Dandelion is still sleeping, I go downstairs to the cafeteria again to be served amazing fluffy pancakes with an option of either syrup or chocolate, with a side of strawberries. As I brought my food over to one of the tables and started eating, I hear some type of bell ring. It startles me, and I almost drop my fork.
“Good morning students, and welcome back,” says the tall woman in a black dress on the huge stage. She almost looks like a black widow. I shudder at the thought.
“I would like to thank you all for choosing Peonenes Potionlage school. My name is Mrs. Helianthus Annuus, and I am the director of this school.”
And I swear, she looked directly at me when she said that. She had deathly black eyes and black hair. Only her skin was pale white. How can someone have so much black on them at once?
“Classes start today at 8:45 on the dot. I ask you, please do not be late.” The woman pauses for a minute, searching for words.
“Alright then, I’ll be on my way.”
Wow, that woman is scary. I think to myself. I shouldn’t make her mad… I should get to class.
I put away my tray and plates, and look at my calendar for today.
MONDAY
1st period: English
2nd period: Art
3rd period: Familiar training
4th period: Potions
5th period: History
I have English first period, so I hurry down the long hallways, barely taking in the majestic architecture and designs on the walls.
When I get to my class, I notice that Dandelion is sitting in a chair in the very back of the classroom, where light can barely reach.
I decide to sit next to her before the teacher comes in, so the teacher thinks that’s where I sit.
“Hi, Dandelion,” I greet her. She’s sewing some patches again, carefully holding the needle and making intricate patterns with the thread.
“Oh, hey Juniper!” She says. She smiles a soft, friendly smile and from that I know she’s accepted me as a friend.
“Do you mind if I…,” I start. But Dandelion is already nodding enthusiastically, so I take a seat.
Right as I do, the teacher comes in. She’s wearing a red uniform with the letters PPS on it.
Her hair is a light brown, and her eyes look welcoming. I think I like her.
“Alright class, my name is Ms. Lisianthus, and I will be your English teacher for the rest of the semester. Here In class I’d like to cover a lot of difficult concepts, so make sure you listen,” she announces, and the class starts clapping.
I start clapping too, I want to be seen as a proper young lady that doesn’t live in an old shack in the woods.
The rest of the class goes by fine, It was just some introductions and games.
When the bell rings and class ends, I pack up my bag and get ready to exit out the door.
Just as I step outside, a black- haired boy wearing black cargo pants and a black shirt trips me with his leg.
“Hey!” I yell at him. “Why did you do that?”
I feel my voice quiver, and my leg starts to hurt.
Then, the boy starts to laugh. An evil, terrifying, mocking laugh. It sounds like the Joker’s, but ten times worse. And there I am, lying helplessly on the ground, with him and some other boys laughing at me.
I quickly stand up and kick the boy with the evil laugh in the leg and sprint away to my next class down the hallway. There are barely any kids in the hallway, so that means I’m late.
My eyes sting with tears, and I close my eyes. Bad idea, because I slam into the stone wall.
I open my eyes and fall down, my entire body now aching.
“Oww…” I mumble under my breath.
I hear the soft pitter-patter of a fox’s paws on stone.
“Hello, Aspen…” I mumble.
“We should go to the nurse’s office,” Aspen commands. “You hit your head pretty hard back there.”
I nod, and follow Aspen to the nurse. Limping, aching, crying. Things were going just fine 30 minutes ago!
When we get to the office, I’m practically broken. I was one step away from tripping on my own feet. The nurse probably saw the pained, horrible look on my face, because when she saw me, she said:
“Oh, dearie, what happened to you? You look so tired!”
The nurse’s kind eyes meet mine, and I look down at my feet.
“Well, I just..um..” I stutter. I picked at my nails, which were starting to grow long.
“Don’t worry. I know what happened.” The nurse says in a calm, low voice.
I had so many questions. Did she watch me completely embarrass myself? Who is this woman? How old is she?
I probably forgot that this school was full of magicians, because she was definitely a mind reader.
The unfamiliar woman gave me a bandage, poured some weird water on my forehead, and I immediately felt better.
“Off you go! You’re already late,” the nice lady says with a calm smile.
“Thank you,” I say, and walk out of the door. Well, that was an experience..
I looked at my fingers, which used to have my blood on them.
They didn’t. But I had no time to think about that now; I was late on the first day.
I took off running. Through the hallways, through the sliding doors, running and running until I got to the classroom that had a wooden door. It had a grey sign that said ART.
I peeked through the window, and saw a teacher with dyed red hair and brown eyes. He had a brown apron that had tons of paint splotches on it.
He looked nice, so I took a deep breath and opened the door. Right when the door creaked open, everyone’s eyes shifted to me. I hate when this happens, I think as I advance toward an empty seat next to Dandelion. I try to smile, but all that comes out is a little wrinkle next to my eye.
I look over in the direction of the popular girls, where they laugh and whisper in their pricy outfits.
I wonder if I should go sit with them. I’ve always wanted to sit with them, to talk with them, but I can’t get enough courage to come up to them. Because what if they laugh at me or judge me for having such old clothes?
I just sigh and scoot myself over to an empty chair next to Dandelion. As I do, I whisper,”Hi.”
“Hey,” Dandelion says, and I can tell that she doesn’t want to talk.
I look down at my short yellow pencil that used to be yellow and gleaming, but now had paint chipping and no eraser. The teacher must have noticed my sad eyes, and he said, “Do you need a new pencil?”
I snapped out of my staring-into-space thing.
“Oh, uh..no thanks.” I looked over at the popular girls holding their shiny neon mechanical pencils, and immediately changed my answer. “Actually, I’d like a new pencil. This one’s getting old.” I tried to laugh it off, but the embarrassment flooded me. The nice teacher, who’s name turned out to be Mr. Fisher, gave me a shiny mechanical pencil, just like the other girls had. I smiled, and I turned to Dandelion. She wasn’t looking at me, rather she was drawing something in her sketchbook. I thought about complimenting her, but she probably needed a break from talking to people.
“Alright class, let’s start with colors. You see, colors are an important part of art.”
And so the lesson began, tons of talking and learning. I took lots of notes, because I loved art. Just the thought of drawing anything, anyone, it excited me.
3rd Period
I entered the classroom and noticed everyone with familiars. It smelled like hay and cinnamon, but in a good way.
“Oh,” Aspen snorted, “Smells like home.”
“Hmm, really?”I asked, even though I wasn’t very interested. I looked at everyone’s familiars, how they were having polite conversations with their owners.
“Yeah, I used to live on a farm with all these other guys. There’s Bob, John, Steven…”Aspen explained. I nodded and found an empty seat. Dandelion didn’t take this class, because she said she didn’t need familiars, she just needed Dandelions and their seeds.
I wondered what class Dandelion had, and I started to miss her.
“Alright class, My name is Ms. Gerbera. I will be teaching you how to train your familiars and make sure they don’t misbehave or run away.” Said the teacher with short hair and a long-sleeved shirt that had patches on it.
“Juniper!” Aspen shrieked. It startled me and I almost fell out of my seat.
“What?”
“That teacher has patches just like you! On her shirt!”
“Oh my gosh, I know! Be quiet!” Those words came out a little louder than I wanted them to, and I sounded mad. Aspen nodded and put his head down.
“Sorry.”
I didn’t hear what he said that time, and I felt bad for yelling at him. After all, he was just a magical fox without a home…
After familiar training, I had lunch. I scrambled out of class, because the smell was starting to give me allergies. I wondered if I had to switch classes, but then I realize how Aspen really liked doing tricks with me. I sigh and say,
“Come on, Aspe.” Aspe was my nickname for Aspen. I learned that if you give your familiar a nickname, they’ll grow more attached to you and consider you their friend, maybe family.
I smile at the thought of having animal friends. I’ve always liked animals, but I never thought I’d end up like this. This was true magic.
At lunch, I see Dandelion and another girl that I never met. I suddenly became nervous.
I thought I was her only friend?
I could feel my face becoming red and hot. I didn’t know whether to cry or yell, but I did know one thing: I can’t show my red face to them now.
Juniper, I say to myself. Just go get lunch. You need to become more social.
I step toward the lunch line, which was pretty short. I was going to decide on what kind of fruits I want to eat, but suddenly I miss mom very much. My 14-year-old self just left her alone at home? What if she doesn’t have anything to eat?
The thoughts swirl in my head, making my face now really hot. I felt people’s eyes on me, and I put my empty wooden tray down next to me on the floor. I put my hands to my eyes, and they felt good against my hot skin.
“Are you okay?” asked a random boy with shaggy hair and an oversized t-shirt.
I sniffed and said,
“Yeah. I-I’m fine.”
I started replaying what I just said in my brain. Over and over, trying to figure out if that was the right thing to say. If I sounded good when I said that, not like an embarrassment.
I sighed and picked up my tray off the floor. I tried not to look at anyone, not to attract any unnecessary attention.
I looked at the lunch they were giving out, and how delicious it looked!
Fresh, golden potatoes, peeled delicately. Not too much, and not too little.
Glistening salads, with fresh avocados and lettuce.
I’ve never seen so much description involving food.
I plopped some potatoes onto my plate, but then I froze.
Remember, Juniper, Mom’s voice rang in my head. Leave some food for the others. They might need it more than you, you never know. She told me that when I was about to leave for my new school, with her warm hands against my cheeks. What I would give to feel her hands again, to have her hug me. I feel my eyes water.
☆
I linger in front of the large dining area, wondering where I should sit. I didn’t want to be alone, because I didn’t want to be bullied. But I didn’t feel like socializing or making new friends either.
I decided to just bring my tray with food up to my room, where I could be alone and eat in peace and quiet without people screaming in my ears.
When I take my first bite, I almost faint. Whoever makes this food needs to be a five-star professional chef! I think.
But the food kind of tastes like my mom’s.
My eyes well up with tears, and I get embarrassed for crying so many times in one day. But I let the tears flow down my face, making my tired eyes hydrated again. I just want to go home and see mom again. How is she doing? Should I send her some mail? Should I sneak out of our dorm and go home? No, it’s too far. I’m stuck here until winter break… will I be able to even go home? Will mom still be here when winter break comes? Who will I live with if mom… thoughts of mom swim in my head, my thoughts like a whirlpool sucking me in.. my breathing becomes rapid, thoughts dance in my head, all I want is to go home and see mom again.
My food is cold by now, my heart hammering in my chest, the room seems to get darker and colder as my mind races with different horrible possibilities.
I drop my fork on my plate with a loud “clang.”
I close my eyes tight, salty tears running down my face like a waterfall. I try to block out the world as my breathing becomes more labored. I feel a weight on my lap, returning me back to reality.
“Juniper,” a calm voice echoes.
I pet the soft fur of Aspen’s coat and take a deep breath.
In and out, I repeat to myself. In and out.
“Juniper,” I hear his voice say, and I open my eyes to see Aspen, with his calm eyes and steady paws.
“Mmm?” I mumble. I don’t feel like talking right now.
“Are you alright? I can bring you some water if you’d like..”
“Oh, no, I’m okay.” I say, feeling my voice shake as I pet Aspen. “I just had a little moment with hard thoughts.” I brush my hair with my left hand.
“Whatever you say,” Aspen utters and gets ready to leave. Before he does, though, he turns around and looks at me with his eyes. His welcoming, kind brownish-red eyes tell me that it’s going to be okay. And I can tell that Aspen thinks the same thing. Maybe this won’t be so bad. Maybe– I take a deep breath– Mom is going to be okay.
Aspen opens his mouth to say something, but then closes it when my eyes shift.
Before I take everything in and go back to reality, I get one last thought:
It’s going to be okay.
Chapter 6
“So, are you going to your next class?” Aspen asks me a few minutes after the whole incident.
I like Aspen that way. A few minutes later it’s just like nothing happened, and that everything is back to normal. It saves me from a ton of embarrassment.
“Um,” I mumble, even though I already knew the answer. At this point, Aspen was becoming a dad to me. “No.” I say, looking down at my feet, which still ached.
“Really? But it’s your first day!” Aspen noted. He was pacing back and forth and walking around my legs.
“I know, but I’m just tired.” I tried not to sound annoyed, but I just couldn’t help it.
“Whatever you say!” Aspen