Chapter Five – Upon Arrival

George looked at him with disbelief.

“You’re kidding.”

“I’m not!”

“He’s not.”

George swung around to face Will again.

“Keep-out-of-this!”

She hissed, before turning to Liam. She spoke with her normal British accented voice again.

“Let me see.”

Liam moved obediently and switched places with George. She stared out of the window. Indeed, Liam was telling the truth. All around them were clouds, fluffy looking and grey.

“I can tell it’s going to rain tonight.”

George looked across at Stephen, who was staring out of the window. He turned to face George.

“So, who’s your boyfriend?”

He gestured towards Liam.

George blushed furiously while Liam stared at the ground.

“We’re just friends.”

He mumbled out those words quietly, before looking across at George. She had turned bright red, appearing to represent a tomato.

“We don’t date.”

George got impressively redder, which soon turned out to be purple after she had been fuming for a few more minutes.

“Leave it, it’s ok…”

Liam spoke slowly to her, afraid of the fact she might blow up in his face.

The colour drained out of George’s face as quick as it had appeared. She was back to her pale-skinned self. But still had that defiant scowl fixed upon her face.

“We DO NOT-“

“OK, OK, we get it sis!”

Chris had spoken for the first time to her this morning. It was his way to jump in at the last second.

George nodded, fuming, while Liam looked bewildered.

“Does she always do that?”

He whispered to Will, who stifled his laugh for a cough.

“Sometimes.”

He whispered back his answer as quietly as Liam had asked the question.

“Once, she turned bright green. It was funny…”

Liam nodded, not finding it funny at all.

**

George calmed down over the next half an hour. Will and Chris had taken to playing chess, which George could never understand the point of.

“I just don’t get why they are so fascinated by it… I mean, it’s just moving little figures around on a board really.”

Unfortunately for George, her twin brothers had heard her and were now engaged in the argument version of war. Liam tried not to hear, but some things were just unavoidable.

“Well, chess is much better than stupid scrabble!”

Liam blinked. George’s favourite game is scrabble? He thought, wondering what on earth she would say to retaliate.

“It’s much better than chess; at least your mind actually works in scrabble!”

“So your mind isn’t working when you have to decide why piece to move?”

George’s face flushed pink.

“Well, your brain works harder in scrabble because you’re using letters to make words! It helps with your vocabulary and spelling!”

Liam rolled his eyes. She was going to turn red and moment, he could just tell. And before that happens…

“Would you guys just give it a rest?”

George and the twins turned their heads slowly towards Liam. He gulped. George had turned green like the twins had described. He vaguely thought of someone who was about to be sick.

“Sure, I guess…”

George nearly gagged as Chris spoke, carefully and without any hint of emotion.

“Come to your senses, have you?”

With that, George had set off a new argument. Liam sighed, and decided to read one of the many reading books he had packed to bring with him.

**

The argument had lasted for another hour, by which time they were nearing their destination – Eastern Academy. There was actually two other Academies in the country, Western and Central. Nobody knew why they had been named like that, as Eastern Academy was in the south; Western in the north and Central in the- well, middle. Central Academy had been the first of the three to open, over 200 years ago. It had been opened when George’s great ancestors and other people’s had gained their powers, and needed an education on how to control them properly. Of course, as it was so early not many people were good to teach the children how to control their new abilities, but nonetheless they had managed alright. The students (George’s Ancestors and other people’s Ancestors) had become well enough educated to be able to use their powers safely and controlled. George had gazed into space at the thought, but now she had come to wonder whether her ancestors had really been educated that well. Or had they just improvised? Nobody knew. And everyone was right not to know…

**

“George, look! There it is!”

George leapt from her seat (very hard to do, not a very high ceiling) and moved closer to the window and stared down. There, stretching along the horizon was Eastern Academy, glistening with light from the sun.

“Wow…”

“Oh please, it’s nothing really. Wait until you get inside.”

George frowned at Chris, not understanding what he meant.

“But it looks great now, so does it look even better inside?”

“You’ll see.”

George hated it when he did that. Liam poked George in the ribs.

“Are your brothers always this…. Well, annoying?”

“Totally.”

Liam nodded, and then stared out of the window. The Academy was getting closer, and closer, and closer…

**

George stepped from the car onto the grass. It had landed quite smoothly, which had surprised her. She had thought it would have been bumpy, after heading at the ground on an angle. But she had been wrong.

“Move!”

George jumped out of the way as Liam and the others clambered out. While Chris, Will and Stephen got the luggage from the boot, Liam and George took the time to stare up at their home for the next couple of months.

**

“First Years, This way please.”

George jumped as an elderly woman shuffled towards them, beckoning all of the youngest students towards her.

“Come on.”

Liam only followed as George dragged her trunk along, Jetwing’s cage bashing against it. This resulted in loud hoots from the agitated owl.

“Let him out, He’ll be fine.”

George jumped as the woman addressed her.

“Won’t he get lost or something?”

“Think about it, Owls are nocturnal. They see best in the dark, and sleep during the day. He’ll come inside when it’s morning. Now, Right this way.”

George looked back over her shoulder and saw a mass of people following the elderly woman. She tried to count, but her hand was always knocked away when she had reached a high number. They kept walking until they reached the school gates. They each had a miniature sculpture of the explosion on them. George stared at them for a while, lost in thought over why these would be significant to the school. But then she understood. The explosion had been the start of the powers, it had been the beginning for the school. George nodded enthusiastically when she had finally understood them now. She looked around at the other students, to find they were all staring at her. She stopped nodding abruptly.

“Now then, who wants to be sorted first?”

All of the students turned to face the woman again. Nobody volunteered.

“Oh well, we’ll do it in register order then I think. I suppose you’re wondering who I am?”

A few of the students nodded, still unable to speak.

“Now, my name is Mrs Shaw, and I’ll be your History teacher. As this young girl noticed, the explosion which caused powers has been the symbol of the school ever since it was made. Does anybody know when it was built?”

George had gone a little red when Mrs Shaw had pointed to her, but her hand shot up to answer the question as the fire left her cheeks.

“Yes, young lady?”

George grinned when she was chosen to answer.

“It was founded a month later, in January. The precise date is the 30th, which also happens to be my birthday.”

Mrs Shaw nodded vigorously, apparently impressed.

“Yes, well done. And your birthday as well? You’re not dear Arthur’s daughter are you?”

George nodded.

“Ah yes. You were named after your great ancestor George Howlett actually. She was one of the first to gain powers you see. She helped to save Cinotime I think… Yes, She helped save Cinotime from danger. A very noble woman indeed… We have a painting of her in school if you would like to see it later. And of course, you’re the only Fullon supernatural in this century, apart from the great ancestors of the other three?”

George blinked.

“There’s only four of us in this century, Miss?”

“For quite a few centuries I should think. Anyway, to the sorting!”

George looked around, and wondered who the other three could be. Before she could decide on someone, three boys parted from the group and headed towards her.

“Wow, It must’ve been embarrassing in the spotlight…”

George nodded slowly.

“I’m guessing you three are the other Fullons?”

They all nodded.

“All named after our ancestors like you, imagine that.”

George laughed.

“Come on, if we hurry we can sit next to each other.”

The three nodded, and followed George as she hurried up the steps after the other students.