“Kylie, time to wake up!” Mrs. Renjay called.

                Shoot. Is it 8 o’clock already?

                Kylie Renjay sat up in bed, yawned, and rubbed her eyes. Being a homeschooler, she didn’t have to get up early (or at least as early as other kids who went to public school); but that didn’t mean that she could stay in bed all day, as much as she might want to.

                Kylie laid back down, not feeling motivated enough to get up. After a few minutes of lying there and accepting the fact that she wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep, Kylie pulled back her bedcovers. She then proceeded to make her bed– not that it was really necessary, since it was a loft bed that nobody could see the top of. Next, she climbed down her bed’s ladder, grabbed her hairbrush off her desk, and started brushing her hair, standing in front of the mirror that was attached to her bedroom door.

                Kylie had medium-length wavy brown hair, deep brown eyes, long legs, and an average height for her age. She didn’t know about anyone else’s opinion, but at least in her own she wasn’t particularly pretty.

                Kylie exited her room and went into the kitchen. Being an only child, she and her parents lived in a two-bedroom apartment, on the second floor of an apartment building in Washington DC.

                “Good morning, Kylie,” Mr. and Mrs. Renjay said.

                “Morning,” Kylie replied, unenthusiastically, knowing that today would be just like every other day.

                Mr. Renjay hadn’t left for work yet, but he would after eating breakfast. Kylie and Mrs. Renjay didn’t need to leave the house, because Kylie had her mother as her teacher.

                After eating their usual breakfast– fried eggs with toast and slices of apple– Mr. Renjay left for work, and Kylie departed the kitchen to take a shower.

                This is what Kylie did every morning, day after day, week after week, month after month. Things rarely changed. The only excitement that she got in her life was when her parents invited someone over for dinner, or when she was reading a book. Every afternoon was the same as well. She would do all her school subjects: math, piano, writing, grammar, history, science, and Spanish, then she would read, watch TV, or maybe play a videogame.

                It wasn’t that Kylie’s parents weren’t loving or kind, or that Kylie didn’t love them, it was just that she wished for more excitement in her life. She wished that something exciting would happen to her. Or more so, she wished she could be like a character in the books she read, saving the day, defeating monsters and villains all the time.

                And it wasn’t that Kylie didn’t have any friends, either, since her parents had a tradition of inviting one family over to their apartment for dinner every week, and Kylie was friends with some of the children who were invited. Although, the friend she was closest to, her next-door neighbor, Charity Delmare, had moved away quite suddenly six months ago, and Kylie still didn’t know the details of why.

                Charity had been kind, caring, generous, patient, everything that a friend should be. Without her, Kylie felt lonely; more so than she wanted to admit.

                After showering, Kylie got dressed in her usual jeans and T-shirt—today the shirt was navy blue with a pattern of pink and light-blue flowers. Then, she took out a small dish from the kitchen and filled it with dry pet food.

                “I’m gonna feed the cat,” she told her mother, who was sitting at the kitchen table, looking at something on her phone.

                “Okay,” Mrs. Renjay replied.

                This is my favorite part of the day, Kylie thought as she headed down the stairs of the apartment building, outside, and turned a corner, entering an alley with nothing in it but a few dumpsters.

                “Here, Thomas!”

                A little brown tabby poked his head out from behind one of the dumpsters.

                “Hello, how are you today?” Kylie asked him. Thomas meowed in reply and started rubbing against Kylie. She smiled, sat cross-legged on the ground, and started petting him. He arched his back and purred. Thomas’s fur was a bit less soft than that of some of the house cats that Kylie had met. She supposed it came from living in the city, and not being able to keep clean as easily.

                Kylie had met and named the little cat when he was only a kitten, a few months after she and her parents had moved to their current apartment. The apartment didn’t allow pets, but Kylie still came out to feed him every day.

                Thomas purred, and Kylie scratched behind his ears. One of them had been trimmed a little at the top to show that he was neutered. Kylie scratched under his chin, and the cat leaned into her hand, apparently enjoying the attention.

                It was then that Kylie noticed a woman standing a few feet away from her, near the entrance to the alleyway. She had dark brown hair swept back into a ponytail, and strikingly pale blue eyes. Her blue and white uniform made it look as if she was a sailor, or part of the navy. She had a bag slung over her shoulder, and an envelope in her hand. The woman took a few steps forward and greeted Kylie with a smile.

                “Good morning! Are you, by any chance, Kylie Renjay?” she inquired.

                “Yes, I am,” Kylie replied, confused. “How do you know my name?”

                “I’m here to deliver a letter for you. My name is Rilla Airi, but you can just call me Airi,” the woman said, handing Kylie the envelope.

                Kylie didn’t take it, but eyed Airi suspiciously.

                “Why are you giving this to me in person?” she asked.

                “You’ll probably have questions about what’s inside this letter, and I’m here to answer them,” Airi told her.

                Kylie took the letter, which was sealed with red wax, and opened it gingerly. What harm could there be in reading it?

                Inside it read, in neat handwriting:

The Guardian Academy
Headmistress: Mirdina Scarlet
Deputy Headmistress: Asla delmare

                To Kylie Renjay:

            I know you must be very confused right now. After all, you just got handed a letter by Airi, a total stranger to you. But I also know that the world needs you, Kylie. Unknown to you, there has been a war going on in the world of magic. There are people who want all non-magical beings gone from this earth. You have powers that could help us fight this war, although they have not been unlocked yet. That is why I am accepting you into my school, the Guardian Academy, so that your powers can be activated, and you can learn how to use them properly.

            If you are willing to trust me, this letter, and Airi, you will be taken by boat to the Guardian Isle, and will only need to pack a week’s worth of belongings, as the trip should take about seven days. The rest of your things will be brought to the Guardian Academy.

            Sincerely,

            Mirdina Scarlet, Headmistress of the Guardian Academy.

                Kylie’s eyes widened as she looked at the letter, her eyes seemingly stuck on the heading at the top. “Asla Delmare” was the name of Charity Delmare’s mother.

                It has to be a coincidence, Kylie thought. There’s no way that Mrs. Delmare is the deputy headmistress of a magician’s school.

                Kylie turned and looked at Airi suspiciously. Living in the city, she been taught—and learned—to be wary of strangers. Now, how was she going to react to someone asking her to go to a school that she had never heard of? She sighed, gave Thomas one last stroke, stood up, and dusted herself off.

                “I should get going,” she said, and started to walk away. “If I don’t come back soon, my mom will get upset and I—,” she cut off. Airi had grabbed her arm. Kylie turned back to face her.

                “Please don’t go,” Airi said, her eyes desperate, her voice pleading. “We need you.”

                The words echoed in Kylie’s mind. No one had ever said that to her before.

                We need you.

                “And what’s your proof that this ‘Guardian Academy’ is a real place?” Kylie asked.

                Airi let go of Kylie’s arm, opened her bag, and started rummaging around in it. After a moment, she took out a small camera, turned it on, and showed Kylie a picture of a beautiful building. With the white stone it was made of, it reminded her a bit of the Taj Mahal, except the dome was smaller, and the sides of the building were much longer, enough to house at least three hundred rooms.

                “This is the Academy,” Airi told her. “If you come with me, you can live and go to school there.”

                So she has a photo of it, Kylie thought. It was on a camera, too, which made Kylie more willing to believe that it was a real place.

                “So at this Academy… I’ll be learning how to use… magic?” Kylie asked.

                “That’s right. You’ll be an enchantress.” Airi replied.

                Enchantress.

                The word gave Kylie a thrill.

                “Can you show me some magic?” she asked.

                Airi rummaged in her bag again, then pulled out what looked like a wand: a piece of carved wood with a glowing pale blue stone at the top. She pointed her wand at one of the dumpsters, then murmured something under her breath.  Immediately, the dumpster turned a vibrant shade of yellow.

                Kylie’s eyes widened.

                “Wow,” she breathed, then remembered something.

                “But… what about my parents?” she asked. “What will happen to them? What if they don’t want me to go to the Academy?”

                With another murmur and a flick of her wand, Airi turned the dumpster back to its usual color.

                “They will sign a contract allowing you to go to school, as well as acknowledging the danger that they could be in, as the parents of a Guardian.”

                Will my mom be willing to sign that contract? Kylie thought. And what if she doesn’t believe Airi?

                “They could be in danger because of me?” Kylie asked.

                “It’s possible,” replied Airi. “But it’s unlikely that the people we’re at war with will find out who your parents are.”

                “So why are we at war with those people?” And why should I be on your side instead of theirs? Kylie thought secretly.

                “Well… They’re using Corrupted magic, which is kind of like what you might call Dark magic, but it’s a little different… it has to do with things they do to their Spirit Stones….” Airi said, hesitantly. “I don’t fully understand it, but I’m sure your professors will tell you everything you need to know once you’re at school.”

                “Spirit Stones?” Kylie inquired.

                “Oh,” Airi pulled out her wand and pointed to the pale blue gem at the top. “These things. They’re connected to the owner’s life force. And just as every person’s life is different, every wand is different for each person. The wood that it’s made of, its carvings, its core, and its Spirit Stone all matter. If even one ingredient is out of place, the wand won’t work properly for its owner.”

                “So when will I get a wand?” Kylie asked. Airi smiled.

                “Once you’re at the Academy,” she replied. “There’s a small town next to it on the same island, and in that town there’s a huge market where you can find all of your school supplies, as well as food, jewelry, clothes, books, and even pets!” she sighed. “I used to love going there when I was your age.”

                “It sounds amazing,” Kylie agreed.

                There was a moment of silence, as Kylie didn’t know what to say next.

                “So am I supposed to take you to my mom?” she asked finally.

                Airi nodded. “Yes, and you should also start packing for your trip on the Pegasus.”

                “The Pegasus?” Kylie inquired.

                “The ship that’ll be taking you to the Academy,” Airi answered, as the two of them started walking back into the apartment building. “I’m its captain, which I guess explains my uniform,” she added with a smile.

                Together, they went up the stairs to the second floor, and, using the key that Kylie had with her, entered room 207.

                Gosh, what am I supposed to tell my mom? Kylie thought. Hey, Mom! I just got accepted at this school you’ve never heard of, where they’ll be teaching me how to use powers that I haven’t unlocked yet. I’ll be traveling by boat to get there, so I need to pack. See ya!

                Instead, she walked over to the kitchen table, where her mother was still sitting, and said,

                “Hey, Mom? This is Airi.” Kylie looked to Airi for an explanation.

                “Who are you?” Kylie’s mother demanded.

                “I came here to deliver an acceptance letter to your daughter Kylie,” Airi replied, the picture of serenity, despite Mrs. Renjay’s harsh tone. “It’s an acceptance letter from the same school that I went to when I was her age,” said Airi, handing Mrs. Renjay the letter. “Kylie, why don’t you start packing?” I’ll explain everything to your mom.”

                Kylie nodded nervously and headed to her room. She wondered what Airi was going to tell her mother. Would she be able to convince Mrs. Renjay that Kylie needed to go to this school? Kylie hoped so. If she came to the school, it would mean escape from the monotony of her daily life.

                Kylie opened the sliding door to her closet and heaved her suitcase out. Then, she started taking out some clothes, folding them, and putting them in her suitcase. Like most bedrooms in the city, Kylie’s was small. At the far end of her room lay her loft bed, with closet space underneath, where she kept everything from clothes to random objects. The walls of her room were lined with bookshelves, on which lay all of Kylie’s favorite books, as well as the only thing she collected: magical creature figurines.

                The plastic figurines sat in front of the books on the shelves, as well as on top of the shelves, in the shape of every creature from a unicorn to a dragon to an elf, with a bow and arrow in her hands. Kylie wanted to take them all with her, but she didn’t think that she would have room in her suitcase, and it was possible that they could break.

                It took Kylie about twenty minutes to pack, and during that time she heard Mrs. Renjay speaking loudly to Airi, though she didn’t hear the words. A few minutes after that, she heard a bang and a small scream that came from her mother. Kylie couldn’t hear anything after that, until Airi came into her room with a weary grin on her face.

                “I did it. Your mom’s signed the contract. You can go to school.”

                Kylie grinned and cheered.

                “What did you tell my mother?” she asked.

                “I told her why you need to go to school, what life is like there, and who we’re at war with—as much as I know about those subjects, anyway.” Airi replied. “I also showed her the same photo I showed you of the Academy, as well as a bit of magic.” Just then Kylie realized something.

                “Don’t you need my dad to sign the contract too?” she asked. Airi nodded.

                “We’ll have to wait until he comes home from work to explain everything to him, and have him sign it.”

                Kylie agreed, and together they spent the rest of the morning and afternoon either packing or playing card games. Kylie couldn’t do schoolwork, Mrs. Renjay argued, when there was a guest to entertain, as well as preparation for going to school.

                At one point, Kylie hesitantly asked Airi why she had asked Kylie to call her by her last name. Airi laughed and explained that, for most individuals in the magic world, people tended to call each other by their last names, until they became closer as friends; so if you heard two people calling each other by their first names, that meant that they were close.

                “When you’re introducing yourself to someone,” explained Airi, “You should tell them your full name, like when I said that my name was ‘Rilla Airi’. So for you, you would introduce yourself as ‘Kylie Renjay’, and then the person you were speaking to would address you as ‘Renjay’.”

                Kylie nodded.

                “I think I understand,” she said.

                Just then, Airi and Kylie heard the jangling of keys outside. The door to the apartment was opened, and Mr. Renjay walked in.

                “Hello!” he called, then stopped when he saw Airi. “Hello, who’s this? I don’t think we’ve been introduced yet.”

                “Dad, this is Airi,” Kylie told him. “She’s… given me an acceptance letter from a school.”

                “Oh, is that so?” Mr. Renjay blinked, clearly surprised that his homeschooled twelve-year-old daughter had gotten an acceptance letter. “Um… which school?”

                At that moment, Mrs. Renjay entered the living room, where the other three were standing. She, Airi, and Kylie began to explain to Mr. Renjay about the Guardian Academy, the magic world’s war, and why Kylie had to attend the school. Airi showed Mr. Renjay the acceptance letter, the photo on her camera of the Academy, and displayed her magical ability by turning a blue vase with yellow flowers into a pink vase with red flowers and back again.

                “Marvelous!” Mr. Renjay exclaimed.

                It didn’t take much for him to be convinced that Kylie should go to the Academy. After very little discussion, he wholeheartedly agreed with the other three women that he should sign the contract. In the span of about ten minutes, Mr. Renjay had signed the crucial piece of paper and Kylie had her luggage in hand, ready to board the ship which would take her to the Guardian Isle.

                “I’m going to use a teleportation spell to take us to the boat, ok?” Airi told Kylie. “But I need sunlight to hit the Spirit Stone on my wand for it to work, so we have to go outside.” Kylie nodded.

                She said her goodbyes and I-love-yous to her parents, promising that she would write from the Academy every week, and her parents promised the same. Then, with her suitcase in hand and her backpack on her shoulder, she and Airi left apartment number 207, and walked out of the apartment building.

                Kylie’s heart pounded and her cheeks were flushed with excitement. In just a day, her life had changed forever.

                Kylie and Airi walked into the same alley they had met in, so that no one would see them. Kylie said goodbye to Thomas, then held Airi’s hand as she extended her arm, wand in hand, to the sky, catching the sunlight on the gem so that it lit up brilliantly.

                “Transport!” Airi shouted.