There were several sharp intakes.

'Qui' cool, huh?' Captain Squirm told the passengers.

They were staring at a bright blue sky and extremely tall trees that June had never seen before in her life.

The Speedy Sailor glided through a wide river. On either side were many things to look at. A griffon stood on the green grass. Its beady eyes locked on June's.

A little further, there was a field of small indigo plants. June stared at its natural beauty for a few seconds before a yellow butterfly sat on the stem of one. The flower rapidly turned black and razor sharp teeth emerged from the center; it gobbled down the butterfly and turned to indigo again. June was in awe and in fear at the same time.

There was a building not too far ahead of the flowers where a crowd of people in brown robes stood in a long queue, waiting for the door to open. A small man limped to the front of the door and threw green dust. A sign emerged at the top of the building; Warlock Bank - Open. The crowd flooded through the doors.

'Almost there!' Captain Squirm swung the steering wheel left and the ship turned wildly.

The ship was now nearing an enormous golden gate. June noticed a hovering sign which read: GemLake dock. Not too late after that did the sign sprout eyes and winked at her.

Up ahead, there was a place for the ship to anchor at, which it did, and soon, June found herself being carried with the crowd towards the golden gate.

June's head was pounding, with anxiety and nausea from anxiety. She gripped her handbag and dragged her suitcase trying to look casual as she stepped onto solid ground.

She paused and looked at the giant golden gate soaring into the sky. On either side of it stood two black pillars, where, on the top, stood two statue Gargoyles. There was big bold text gleaming on the golden gate: Enchanted High.

Behind the gate, there were two visible buildings facing each other creating a wide passageway in between them. High above any building or pillar was a pointed tower at the center of everything, which June guessed had easy visibility to every class in the school. The place had an eerie feeling attached to it, but somehow June felt more safe and home than any other place.

June inhaled and let out a deep breath then looked at the crowd. To her surprise, she saw a lot of familiar faces. Amanda Grey, Julia Spatula, Pinky Simons and Ruby Rudolph were just some of them.

But, there were still hundreds she didn't recognize.

After much staring at the buildings above her, she turned her attention to the man in front of her.

'Attention all students!' he said. 'Welcome to Enchanted High. I am Coach Sonic, your sports teacher.'

Coach Sonic was a tall and muscular man, with a broad upper body, but little feet.

He continued with his speech, 'For some basic knowledge of your directions at school, a tour has been arranged for all first-year students. I am going to be hosting that tour. All second years and above, you may obediently go up to your dorm rooms.'

Coach Sonic had barely finished his sentence when the golden gate behind him unlocked itself. The Coach led them through the open gates. June's heart soared at the beauty.

The stone buildings soared as high as June could see, the arched windows were framed with a gleaming Emeraldholden metal, and all around the buildings, between gaps and cracks, vines bloomed, with magical flowers that perfumed that air. Three buildings created a sort of courtyard, at which, located in the center was a magnificent fountain that splashed upwards into the clouds, creating shapes of unicorns, of birds and dragons. All around the fountain, grew trees that June had never seen before. And in the midst of the branches, hundreds of birds nested there, chirping wildly. There were students too, second, third, fourth years seated on the benches in groups, eyeing the first years.

Coach Sonic gestured to the first building that, by inspection, June realized had the highest tower.

The Headmaster's office, said Audrey's voice.

'This,' said the Coach, 'is the administrative building. Has stuff like the teacher's dorms, student helper's dorms, and kitchen. If you look at the top,' he pointed high above them, toward the sky, at the tower, 'is the Headmaster's office. No student is allowed here. Only staff.'

He began walking, and the first-year students followed him hurriedly.

'Block A, girl's dormitories,' the Coach waved a hand at another building, not slowing his pace, 'Block B, boy's dormitories.'

Suddenly, he halted to a stop and spun around. The crowd stared at him.

'Before we continue with the tour, you are allowed a rest in your dorm. Grab a key from the student services office and meet me at this exact point when the bell rings. Fifteen minutes.'

And he disappeared.

The student services office was difficult to locate; June had expected there to be a proper welcome into the school, but instead, she found herself being bashed around by a large crowd. At last, she caught sight of a gleaming sign which indicated the entrance of the student services office.

Students stormed through the double doors. The office, in fact, was spacious. Along all four walls were counters with busy elves typing on computers. June found herself being carried away with the crowd, into the queue. The next moment, she was standing before a high counter with nobody on the other side - or so she thought.

'Good morning miss.' June heard a voice, but she was not sure where it came from. She perked her head over the counter and caught sight of the shortest person she had ever seen. The little woman was oblivious to June's surprise. She routinely grabbed a stool, hoisted herself upon it, tidied the counter a bit, and looked at June in the eye. 'A room key, I suppose?'

June blinked. 'Um, yes, a room key -'

'One moment.' She fidgeted with the computer; June tried not to stare at the elf's hooked nose, or her freakish blue and green hairdo. And those hands ... how could something so small type so fast? They were a blur across the keyboard - typing words in a language completely foreign to June. The only distinguishable feature that June could find a name to was her badge, displaying her name and duty: Little Judy; Student Helper.

A paper blocked June's vision. A few seconds later, the writing came into focus.

'Sign the bottom,' said Judy.

June did as she was told. Judy snatched the paper back, and the next series of steps occurred too quickly for June to notice everything. But she saw it, alright: she saw Judy flick the paper into the air, just barely saw the blur of the paper as it flitted across the room, to the back, and disappeared - she thought she saw a burst of stars right before her eyes, only it wasn't a burst of stars - it was her room key, embossed with her name and everything.

'There you go,' said Judy, sounding a bit bored.

June was frozen in the spot. She held the key in her hand; it was a rough gold card, with gold words that seemed to desire to exist outside the card. She held the card carefully, afraid to touch it, almost as if it was a delicate and alive creature.

The elf sporting the counter beside them chuckled. 'This one's a new one.' She told Judy. Judy merely shook her head.

June diverted her gaze from the card, hurdled through the crowd and out the door. Looking around, she saw a group of luggage-carrying girls and followed them. Of course, she lost them in the crowd a few times, the same way she lost her mind while looking at her surroundings.

It was amazing; even the best, most architecturally advanced building in the human world could not compare to the work of what she saw. Gold seemed to be a favorite here; there were gold designs engraved onto the ceiling, gold designs on the staircases and railings, gold frames holding portraits of abnormal people and surreal art. One stood out at the end of the staircase - ebony and ivory keys of a piano fading into the stripes on a zebra. Audrey would have liked that one.

But that was merely the starters. The main course was when the staircases ended, and she appeared at the entrance of a large hall, stretching in both directions as far as her eyes could see. To say that it took her breath away would be one hell of an understatement. Doors marked with their respective room numbers (beginning at hundred) lined the endless passage; while at the center were polished wooden benches, and glass sculptures and stone gargoyles and blooming pots of flowers and trees so tall that they broke into the seemingly sealed glass roof. June walked through all this, dragging her suitcase behind her, walked through the never-ending passage and the never-ending crowd of students, admiring the stars, and already anticipating how beautiful the blue sky would look.

Realizing that there would be plenty time all year to sight see, she began looking for her room. The door key said room hundred-and-nine ... there was room hundred-and-four, and opposite that was hundred-and-five - the odd on the left and even on the right. That meant ... her room was -

When she reached room 109, she stood in surprise for moments. In place of a door knob, there was shrunken head, grotesque, with a bulbous nose and black, shriveled hair. It eyes were closed, as if in sleep; it remained silent and still, apart for the low snoring.

June looked up and down the corridor, unsure of her next move.

'Sorry about that missy. I was taking myself a nap.'

The eyes of the head were locked on her, examining her from head to toe as if she was being put through a security scan. The shrunken heads, said Audrey, they can be your best friend, or your worst enemy.

'Don't you know it's rude to stare?' it said again.

'Oh, um,' June blinked. 'I'm sorry. I haven't seen -'

'Yeah, yeah,' its head bobbed as he nodded, 'haven't seen a handsome lad like me before.'

'I'm a student.' June said awkwardly.

'Oh, is that so? Where's your card then?' The head licked it brittle lips. 'I'm hungry.'

June reached into her pocket, took her card key out and the head instantly snatched it away. It gobbled the card and crunched it like it was an apple, then swallowed. June watched closely and wondered where the card went to next.

'Ahh, that's better. Hello June Price! My name is Kendal. Room one-oh-nine is all yours!'

June blinked.

'Don't worry, you'll get used to me. Now hurry up and get inside - the bell is going to ring soon!'

The door creaked open and she walked inside.

The first thing that caught June's attention was the sea outside. A balcony overlooked the school's gardens, allowing in fresh wind that carried the scent of the ocean. There were two beds, and on one of them, sat a girl, with earphones plugged into her ears, facing her back to June.

June took several steps into the dorm. 'Hey,' she tried to grab the attention of the girl, but it didn't work. 'Hey!' June had to yell a little.

The girl swung around and tugged on her earphones, removing them. 'Oh!' She beamed as she walked towards June. 'I'm Nicole Fox.'

June shook it. 'June Price.'

Nicole looked around unsurely. 'Well this is room one-zero-nine, the balcony is there -' she pointed across to the sea. 'There's one bathroom, and,' she tapped the sheet of the remaining bed, 'here's where you'll sleep.'

June dumped her luggage on the bed, feeling the soft sheets and pillows.

'And -' Nicole went to June's bed side drawer and pulled out a black handbag. 'These are some supplies the school gave to all the students.'

June unzipped the bag.

When I was there, they gave us all sorts of little enchanted trinkets to get us excited about school, said Audrey. June saw that the contents of this bag were not trinkets, but they fascinated her anyway; there was an Enchanted High guide book, a map of Comikaycrest, several informational books that June couldn't wait to get her hands on, and a magical stationery set.

'So, what are your abilities?' Nicole asked her.

'I'm a water manipulator,' said June. 'And I have duplication.'

'Water manipulator huh?' Nicole surveyed. 'Are you good?'

'I'm not sure ... not exactly good. I once flooded my bathroom back at home. But it was an accident.'

Nicole laughed. 'You think that's bad? I caused an entire blackout in my neighborhood, in Treatonhaven. And it definitely wasn't an accident. I tried fixing a light bulb, and apparently I need more experience.'

June searched her mind for something that Audrey told her once. Most people from Treatonhaven are technopaths - a powerful breed of people who had the ability to manipulate or mend any kind of electrical appliance.

'You're a technopath?' June asked.

Nicole nodded. 'And I have extreme flexibility. Watch.' Without moving her feet, she lifted her hand, but it wasn't a usual hand. It was elongated, stretched across the room to the railings of the balcony. June was impressed.

A loud ringing sound filled the air.

'That's the buzzer,' said Nicole. 'Come on.'

*

There was a din in the assembly; boys and girls together were gathered around Coach Sonic, who stood before the crowd with a bored expression across his face.

'Welcome back,' he announced. 'I hope you've used your fifteen minutes to rest because we're about to do a lot of walking.' He was already speed-walking through the next building. 'Block C: Most of the classes you will attend are here -' he rushed the crowd through the corridor, mentioning a few words about each class as they raced past it. 'Talents classroom - it's a special class for everybody, they say it is. Beast and Creature Science - you will receive an animal to care for -'

The crowd struggled to keep up; June hardly saw the inside of any of the class rooms.

'Technology lab. History room. Enchanted Art. Cafeteria. Dance Studio -' At the end of the corridor was the Sorcery classroom. The Coach paused here, saying they can take a look inside, but he wouldn't touch anything if he were them.

As June stepped into the Sorcery class, there were many things to look at. The strange series of shelves that had jars filled to the brim with eyeballs that blinked as she walked pass to the eerie chirping sound that seemed to emanate from the darkened, cone ceiling. But her gaze immediately landed upon a small tree, hovering peacefully near the roof. It had bright green leaves and almost looked as if it had a face on its bark. It looked strangely small to June, almost as if it was animated.

'What's that?' A student from the crowd asked. Others were pointing and staring admiringly at the tree.

The Coach raised his head. 'That is a very important tree, a Wishing Tree that our school has vowed to protect. It is most advised that you keep a distance from it. Any learner who doesn't abide by this rule will be severely punished.' And with that, he turned on his heels and walked along the corridor, the crowd tailing behind him.

But as June turned to walk away as well, she paused momentarily to see the tree. Its many green leaves sparkled with the sunlight that poured in through the glass windows, making it look as if it had been dipped in golden syrup. Apart from that - June noticed a slight interference, as if it was trying to tell her something.

'Come on, June,' said Nicole from the doorway. June shook the feeling off and followed her.

The next corridor was lined with the Enchanted Music class, Cooking class, the gym and the library; a vast hall with an innumerable number of shelves filled with books. The Coach introduced the students to the librarian there - Alice Ruth; a woman who looked a bit maniacal and feverish about the way her books were treated.

Once that was complete, Coach Sonic made a few final announcements.

'You will be studying all the subjects from now until your third year when you can study on your choice of subjects. As far as sports is concerned - since there is no other school to compete with, Enchanted High has four teams. First years aren't allowed to enter. That concludes your tour. Any questions?'

The crowd was silent.

'No questions?'

A deep, stern voice echoed across the corridor. All heads shifted so that they could catch sight of the visitor. A man appeared at the front of the crowd. He wore a silver suit and necktie. He had plain, stern features; a hooked nose, black eyes that looked like pits.

'Good morning, Headmaster Salvatore,' Coach Sonic greeted. 'Students, this is the headmaster of this school. Very strict.'

Salvatore's pitch black eyes scanned the crowd. 'Indeed ... strict.'

His head shifted across the crowd, eyes jumping from one frightened face to another until it landed on June, remaining there for quite an uncomfortable amount of time. June stared back; she had nothing to hide from this man, neither was she intimidated by him.

Moments after, he continued loudly:

'Enchanted high is a school dedicated to educating magic folk about various things. You will find that we have very strict rules as well. Anyone who disobeys these rules...' He paused. '...will be severely punished.' He looked at the frightened faces of his first year students almost to his pleasure. 'All in all, you must enjoy yourselves.' He walked away, with his footsteps making the only sound.

'Like I said,' said the Coach, when the headmaster was out of ear shot. 'Very strict, you do not want to meet the wrong side of him.' He paused dramatically and silence fell upon the first years. 'Off you go then, back to your dorms. You have the rest of the day to familiarize yourself with other students, classes begin tomorrow - I mean,' the Coach corrected himself, 'classes will begin as of sunrise.'

Once June and Nicole reached their dorm room, neither of them could sleep. So, Nicole got herself occupied with her laptop and June rested herself on the bed reading the guide and 'familiarizing herself with the school'. This session of reading, however, was unique. It was the first time June had encountered a book whose contents moved and jumped out of the pages. Birds came to life and fluttered to the next page; wolves howled and beasts June did not the names of roared.

Then, it was close to sunrise, when Nicole suggested they visit the cafeteria for tea. They sat amidst the buzzing crowd; June gazed around and locked her eyes the balcony which overlooked the blue ocean. She could see the waves churning and slamming onto the walls surrounding the school; a most pleasing sight to her.

A waiter came by and handed them menus. June, who, didn't know much about enchanted foods, found the majority of it very appetizing.

'What's exploding lemonade?' June asked, looking at the picture of a cup being filled to the brim with translucent liquid.

'It's a drink,' said Nicole. 'Very bitter. I wouldn't recommend it.'

June examined the other food choices; bright, creepy and sizzling food stared back at her until she spotted something she was familiar with - Bubble Juice. A juice that Aunt Audrey made for her back at home. Nicole ordered tea.

When they received their drinks, Nicole seemed to be in the mood to chat.

'So,' she said, 'where do you live?'

'Cinder Street,' June said. Her statement was greeted with bewilderment.

'Where?'

June repeated her answer.

'No!' Nicole's eyes were popping out their sockets with shock. She lowered her voice and spoke in a tone that was a mixture of both excitement and alarm. 'Is that ... beyond the portal?'

June nodded.

Nicole blinked and swallowed. 'What's it like over there?'

'It's okay - but I've always felt out of place.'

'I hear the books don't talk there ... is it true?'

'Yeah, it's true.'

Nicole shoulders slumped. She looked at June in amazement. 'I've always wanted to go there. But my dad, he's working here, and it would be incredibly stupid of us to move. He's got a great job. And I'm also so comfortable here. I don't have a problem with Treatonhaven, but I wouldn't mind some change, you know?'

June understood what she meant. There were times, when Audrey had just finished telling her one of her many stories, June had felt homesick for a place she'd never seen. But there were also times when Audrey had told her about the Eiffel Tower, and the Statue of Liberty, and it made June realize that the human world was a wonderful place, too.