Chapter 13 - An Unpleasant Sorting Ceremony

August 11

I was shuffled through the imposing wood doors with over a hundred other kids my age all in androgynous shapeless white dress-looking things that went down to our ankles and thin slippers. There had been no end of complaining from the boys that they were being made to wear dresses and they were sharply rebuked by the teacher who was leading the procession. On the wooden doors were intricate carvings of a humanoid bear leading equally humanoid creatures- an eagle, a bee, a wolf, and a bison- in a fight against a person surrounded by and made of thorny vines with an impressive crown on their head.

When the doors to the grand hall opened I couldn’t help but gasp. Grand iron chandeliers full of lit candles cast a dim light over a cavernous stone hall like out of a movie. The dark ceiling seemed to be simply not there as a shifting night sky appeared not dissimilar to what I had seen over the academy grounds on the occasion I had been up late enough to see it.

At the front of the hall brightly illuminated by some unseen source was a stone archway. The only thing that Ms. Proctor had been willing to tell me about the ceremony was that I would enter the archway when called. She had described it, but she hadn’t done it justice. The rough hewn stones looked like they would fit together perfectly, but instead of mortar holding them together a faintly glowing purple energy seeped from between the stones like smoke before joining a swirling mass of glowing mist in the center of the archway. It was a little hypnotizing.

I’d taken heavy advantage of the little time I got to spend with Ms. Proctor. I wasn’t allowed to work with Groundskeeper anymore because I was officially a guest and not her assistant. So I spent my days in and around the cottage. Filomena was gone for pretty much the entirety of this time. She would pop in for her daily offering, and then crash for a few hours before heading out again. I barely got to say two words to her. I didn’t know what she was up to but Ms. Proctor had told me it was an important part of their plan and I should probably not ask her about it.

The first morning, I had been given the task of building an addition to the cottage with magic which became my room. Another afternoon of building shelving (I had that one down after the library), a dresser, and two beds and my room was ready to make my own. This time, I felt as though this could become home.

After that there wasn’t much to do but study the books Ms. Proctor snuck out of the school library for me. She and Filomena went off somewhere, presumably to figure out the whole adoption thing. I wasn’t sure how to feel about that honestly. On the one hand, I like Ms. Proctor and Groundskeeper. I appreciated everything they’d done for me, but on the other hand, to technically have them be my new parents felt like a little bit of a betrayal.

So, I spent the next ten days wrestling with my feelings, helping Ms. Proctor around the cottage where I could, and studying dry textbooks in preparation for school to start. It was miserable, but in a good way.

Now, as I marched uncertainly along with the other future students of Bearlisp Academy, I felt hopeful.

This was a future.

Filomena floated along behind me as we passed through the path in the middle of the happy families taking pictures and shout-whispering encouragement. The other students, those not looking for their parents in the crowd, were either staring at her, and by extension me, or pointedly ignoring the both of us.

I stood out terribly. The other students mostly had animals as their familiars. There was the odd one that looked like a person made of plants or a fairy, and one boy had some sort of weird creature that looked like a ball of tongues drooling on his shoulder, but none looked like Filomena.

We stopped in front of a raised stage at a signal from the Dean of Students.

“Welcome, prospective students. I am delighted to see all of you who have made it this far. In a moment, I shall call each of you forward and you will enter the portal behind me,” he gestured at the archway just behind and to the side of him, “You have an important decision to make once inside. Be sure to think carefully on the choices you are presented with, but don’t be nervous, it is perfectly safe in there.”

“Let us begin with Erika Ablecreek,” the Dean of Students announced, a girl with a black pixie cut, and strangely pointed ears walked to the dean, “Please walk through the archway, and prove to all present that you belong in our esteemed halls.”

The girl shrugged and walked through the swirling portal in the archway with no hesitation. Barely any time passed before she came out. She was no longer wearing the white dress but a dark brown wool cloak and matching witch’s hat. A dark tunic, trousers, and belt were offset by a large metallic pendant against her chest.

I wasn’t close enough to see what was on the pendant, but I could see the look of shock on her face slowly turn to joy as the parents loudly applauded and the Dean of Students announced a hearty welcome, and directed her to the side of the stage.

On and on, each student was called alphabetically by last name to enter the strange portal on the stage. And one after the other, each student returned shortly after in different uniforms, and all with a shocked look.

From what I could see, there were four kinds of uniforms. There was the brown cloak that the first girl had returned with, but also a deep red military-esque uniform with a feathery cloak over their back. A golden emblem shone on their black peaked cap. It was an impressive look.

There was also a black cassock with a yellow-brown sash tied around the waist. Some sort of symbol was embroidered on the sash. Each student wore a golden circlet on their head. It looked cool, but also a little uncomfortable.

The last was a dark desaturated blue jacket on a white button up with a tie. The boys were wearing matching trousers, and the girls wore pleated skirts. A cape hanging off one shoulder with a silver clasp finished the look.

“Maxine Oldstone,” the Dean of Students announced after what felt like forever, the applause had slightly lessened in intensity as names had been called, “Please walk through the archway, and prove to all present that you belong in our esteemed halls.”

I nodded, and turned to face the swirling, glowing mist in the archway. I closed my eyes before stepping through the portal, and found myself in a pitch black room. With a loud click, a large stained glass window lit up in front of me which depicted a red eagle staring right at me.

The light shone down on three figures in the military uniform that I’d seen others leave the archway wearing. It took me a moment to realize that each figure was a perfect copy of me.

The three spoke in perfect unison, and their voices echoed, shaking the space we were in, “Maxine Oldstone, we three of Nest House represent your ambitions.”

“I,” the me in the center of the three said, affixing me with a confident but stern gaze, “represent-”

“I represent your innermost desire to overturn what isn’t working,” the me to my left interrupted, “We of the Rebel Dorm represent revolution. Our sigil is the skeleton with the bleeding crown.”

I was finally able to get a thorough look at the golden emblems on the peaked caps. Each was a slightly different design. The me who had just spoken had a skeleton with a bleeding crown on her cap.

“I,” the me in the center continued despite the interruption, “represent your desire to exert mastery over the world. We of the Warrior Dorm seek to prove ourselves with courageous acts. Our sigil is a crowned heart pierced with crossed spears.”

The last me spoke sagely beside the other two, “And I represent your inner desire to make your dreams come true. We of the Visionary Dorm seek to understand the fundamental laws of the universe. Our sigil is a triangle made of three eyes.”

Another loud click to my left, caused me to turn and see another tall stained glass window with the face of a wolf staring at me. This one was a deep blue, and the figures were in the jacket and tie uniform with the half cape. I just now noticed that the cape had a gray fur-lined collar.

The three once again spoke in unison, but instead of shaking, there was a calming breeze that came with their words, “We three of Den House represent community.”

The first me to speak was once again the one in the middle, she wore a friendly smile, “I represent your innermost desire for belonging. We of the Friend Dorm desire connection with others. Our sigil is one person standing in a crowd.”

The silver clasp holding her half cape gleamed, and I saw the sigil clearly in the light.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“I represent your inner desire for a relationship with the people, places and things you love. We of the Partner Dorm crave intimacy and experience. Our sigil is two people holding hands on top of a third. “

The last me jumped forward, and with a flourish bowed exaggeratedly, “I represent your inner desire for fun! We of the Jester Dorm strive to live in the moment. Our sigil is a crying mask with a jester’s hat.”

No sooner had she finished speaking, than a loud click behind me, and another window. This time a bison stared at me. The light was dim through the deep brown glass, but I could make out three more of me in the cloak and hat that the first girl to enter the archway had returned wearing.

“We three of Prairie House represent your desire for freedom,” they whispered, but their voices were clear.

“I represent your inner desire to find truth. We of Sage Dorm seek to understand the world through our intellect. Our sigil,” she gestured to the steel pendant around her neck, ”is a book with flames coming from its pages.”

The second me stepped forward moving silently, “I represent your desire for happiness. We of the Innocent Dorm seek our own paradise. Our sigil is crossed floggers above a pentacle.”

The last of the cloaked figures moved forward, “I represent your desire to know yourself fully. We of the Wanderer Dorm explore the world to understand ourselves. Our sigil is the winged cage.”

The last click and a yellow window with the figure of a bee looking down at me appeared. The light highlighted the last three copies of me.

A deep reverential hum reverberated through the chamber as the three spoke, “We three of Hive House represent order.”

The first me stepped forward, the sash she wore around her waist had embroidery on it like a honeycomb, and a symbol of a crown in a bramble.

She spoke to me with a gentle power, “I represent your inner desire for control. We of the Leader Dorm seek to create a prosperous and successful community. Our sigil is a crown hanging from a bramble.”

The me to the right stepped forward with a bow, “I represent your desire to help others. We of the Helper Dorm seek to protect and care for others. Our sigil is a flower hanging from a noose.”

There was a moment’s pause, before the me took a panicked step forward, “Oh, and I represent your inner desire to realize your vision. We of the Dreamer Dorm seek to create things of enduring value. Our sigil is the leaning tower struck by lightning.”

The chamber rumbled around me as all 12 of me spoke, “Choose your path, initiate, and heed our advice.”

I stood silently staring for a while. Too long? Everyone else had seemed to go through this so quickly.

Oh, no. I’m going to take too long and I’m going to fail, and then Groundskeeper and Ms. Proctor won’t want me anymore. They’ll probably take Filomena away and-

The helper me moved forward and gave me a hug, whispering gently in my ear, “Everything is alright, Maxine, you have all the time you need.”

“How am I supposed to choose? There are so many options, I don’t even remember half of them.”

The ruler me spoke up, “Why don’t you start by picking between order, freedom, ambition, and community? What do you really want of these options?”

I thought for a moment. Who would be able to easily choose from these? Of course, I want freedom, and order, and community. Ambition had never really been my thing.

With the same resounding click, the light behind the eagle window snapped off, and the three copies of me in the red military uniform were gone.

Can it really be that easy? Just reflect and the choice becomes clear?

I focused my attention on the three remaining options. Order was nice but that didn’t feel like something that I wanted to focus on, best to leave that to someone a lot more qualified.

The bee stained glass window snapped away.

That leaves freedom, and community. For some reason, I thought back to the last month I had spent with Ms. Proctor and Groundskeeper. I had had freedom, but what I had really wanted was community. I was lonely while everyone else was gone. I felt more whole with Ms. Proctor, Groundskeeper, and Filomena.

Another snap, and another three copies of me vanished.

“Ok, so my options were what again?”

“The three of us are representatives of Den House: Partner Dorm, Friend Dorm, and Jester Dorm.”

“Ok, while I’d like to be happy, I think that focusing on belonging and making friends will be what makes me happiest.”

The partner me, and the jester me stepped back. The friend me stepped forward.

“If what you really desire is to connect with others, then take my hand and heed my advice.”

I thought about it for a second, and took my hand.

“Maxine Oldstone, heed my advice and make sure that you do not lose what makes you who you are for friendships that will not last. I wish you luck in your future endeavors.”

And with that, the room disappeared, and I was back in the grand hall. It took me a moment to reacclimate to my new surroundings and realize that the applause was for me. I smiled and moved to join the others who had been sorted.

When the last student had gone through the archway and returned in their respective uniforms, the Dean of Students raised his hands in a call for silence.

“I am very happy to welcome you all to Bearlisp Academy of Magecraft as students with the rank of First Circle Neophyte,” the Dean waited patiently for the applause to lessen before continuing, “Now, I am sure you are all wanting to see your parents, so we will have a short break for refreshments and mingling. When the bell chimes at seven, we will have all the students gather again for introduction to the dormitory staff and room assignments.”

What followed was a rapid torrent of students crashing into the oncoming wave of families, as the candles around the hall burned brighter. The grand hall became a much more welcoming and warm place. The smell of food from either side of the hall reminded me that I hadn’t eaten in quite a while, and my stomach complained loudly. Thankfully, it was too loud around me for anyone to notice.

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I carefully ducked, and weaved my way through the crowd of happy exclamations and tearful hugs, toward where I was certain was a bountiful feast. My exodus to the promised land of food was halted by a sharp pain in my arm as someone grabbed it and yanked me back.

“I suppose you’re enjoying making a fool of me,” a harsh growl emanated from the man who had grabbed my arm.

“Uncle Derek?” I asked stupidly, my eyes wide as I tried to back away from him, “but how?”

“I am an alumni of this prestigious academy, the one that you are tainting with your nonsense. Do you think this is funny? Making a mockery of the family that took you in out of the goodness of their hearts? Telling horrible little lies so everyone takes pity on you?”

“I didn’t-”

“Save it,” he interrupted, “I know perfectly well that you have been deceiving everyone around here.”

Filomena appeared and grabbed Uncle Derek’s arm, a painful looking icy mist forming where she touched him. He yelped and yanked his arm away.

“Ah, yes. The attack dog. I should have known you would be around. Well, we’ll be having you dismissed shortly. After I deal with having this brat removed from my school.”

Filomena started forming some sort of attack, but I stood between her and Uncle Derek. Every muscle in my body was shaking. Was this something I could really do? I knew that I shouldn’t just rely on Filomena to protect me. Sometimes I had to stand up for myself, just like Groundskeeper had taught me.

My voice shook horribly, and I am sure I didn’t sound nearly as cool as I felt as I said, “Uncle Derek, I have decided to attend Bearlisp Academy, and as long as they will have me, here I will remain.”

I wish I could say the words were entirely mine, but Ms. Proctor had told me that saying this would invoke the protections of the School Board. Apparently, in the early days after the founding, there had been some issues with families trying to forcefully remove students from the academy. The words were a type of ancient spell that summoned help should that be attempted again.

“We’re quite happy to have you, Maxine,” the Dean of Students said right behind me.

“And there is very little you can do about that, Derek Riddlemark,” Ms. Proctor said beside me, “Frankly, I am ashamed that one of our distinguished alumni would attempt something like this in the grand hall. I suppose bad apples have been known to slip through on occasion.”

“Ah, Ms. Proctor, my sister’s guard dog. I should have known you’d be caught up in this travesty,” Uncle Derek snarled.

“Derek Riddlemark,” the Dean of Students intoned, “You are hereby banished from the school grounds and your presence within our walls forbidden until such time as your niece is no longer attending this school.”

“You can’t do that! My nephew is fooling you. He’s a nasty creature that will stop at nothing to get what he-”

“Enough!” The Dean of Students roared, everyone in the hall stopped what they were doing and looked at the commotion. The Dean of students made a complicated gesture with his hands, and began chanting something under his breath, “You are banished, Derek Riddlemark.”

Green flames roared up from underneath my uncle and quickly engulfed him.

“This isn’t over,” he swore loudly as he began sinking into the ground, “That brat is mine, and I always get what’s mine.”

With a whump, the flames went out, and there wasn’t even a black mark to indicate where he’d been.