"I'm home!"
The moment I stepped inside, I kicked off my shoes and bolted straight to the kitchen, searching for Mom, who was busy cooking.
"Arine! You scared me half to death, young lady. You're way later than usual!"
"Mom, you won't believe what happened to me today! I swear I thought I was dreaming—if Leo and Anna hadn't been right there with me!"
Mom burst into her beautiful, ringing laugh.
"And just what happened, light of my heart?"
"I'll tell you everything, but only when we're sitting with Dad."
"Fine, my darling. Go take a shower while we wait for your father to get home."
I raced upstairs, showered, changed, organized my books, and the second I heard the front door open, I flew down to the living room.
"Dad! Welcome home!"
"My little treasure looks awfully excited. Dare I ask what happened today?" he teased in that warm, mocking tone of his.
"I'll tell you everything—just let's eat first. I can't wait another second!"
Ten minutes later, the three of us were seated around the dinner table. We started eating, passing the usual small talk back and forth, until I set my fork down dramatically.
"I have an announcement!"
They both looked at me, eyes wide with anticipation. I continued, buzzing with excitement, pulling the card from my pocket:
"Today… with Leo and Anna… I went to Nevelsa!"
The instant the word "Nevelsa" left my lips, Mom's fork clattered to her plate, and Dad choked on his drink.
What was wrong with them? Was it that shocking? Or did I need to give a whole lecture proving Nevelsa even existed? No, wait—that couldn't be it. They loved Nevelsa stories (even if they never admitted it). Their bedroom was stuffed with books about the place. My gaze darted between them. Mom was muttering to herself.
"No… not Nevelsa… anywhere but there…"
"What's wrong, Mom?"
"Listen to me, sweetheart. The very idea of you joining the Nevelsa Academy is completely out of the question."
"Wait—what?! Mom, what are you talking about? Hold on—how do you even know that's what I was going to ask? Or that the Academy exists in the first place?"
"It doesn't matter how I know. You are not going back there. End of discussion."
Why was she being so stubborn? This wasn't like her at all. Why the outright refusal?
"Marisa, darling, you're scaring her," Dad said gently. "Arine isn't a child anymore. She was going to end up there sooner or later anyway."
"Dad, it's dangerous! I can't just send her there!"
"Mom… Dad… have you two been there before?"
There was no other explanation for how casually they were talking about it. The normal reaction would've been to deny Nevelsa even existed!
Mom and Dad exchanged a long look. Then Dad answered:
"Didn't we ever tell you that's where we met, sweetheart?"
"WHAT?! So you've both been there! Then why can't I go too? It was fine for you, but forbidden for me?"
I grumbled, completely confused by Mom's refusal. I stood up, walked over, and threw my arms around her.
"Mommy, please… why don't you want me to go?"
Mom sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, avoiding my eyes.
"Darling, no matter how hard you try to dodge those puppy eyes, you're going to cave," Dad chuckled. "I told you—today or tomorrow, she's going to Nevelsa. It's inevitable."
"Fine, fine, I give up. Do whatever you want. Just… be careful. Don't get swept away by all the wonders. Nevelsa isn't completely safe. Too many marvels can drag a person straight into danger."
I let out a joyful shriek, squeezed Mom tighter than ever, then dashed to my room—I'd already finished eating anyway. But I still couldn't shake the questions: why had Mom been so against it at first? What she said didn't feel like a real reason. And why did Dad say my going there was inevitable, like it was written in the stars?
───
"Arine, what are you doing sitting here? School's been over for ages."
"Waiting for you and Leo, obviously. Are we going to Nevelsa or not? And it's not like I'm sitting in the middle of the street, Anna!"
"You're literally sitting at the outdoor tables of the café across from school."
Anna sighed, running her fingers through her brown hair, then added:
"Seriously, are you just clueless about how to get to Nevelsa on your own?"
I avoided her gaze and sipped my drink. Less than a minute later, another shadow fell over me.
"What are you two idiots doing?"
"Shut it, lemon-head. Can't you ever speak without insulting someone?"
"I'm not insulting. I'm stating facts."
"Anyway—can we go to Nevelsa now?"
"Of course."
"Then finish your drink, Arine."
I chugged the rest in one go and jumped up.
Nevelsa, oh Nevelsa—every single time you take my breath away (let's ignore the fact I've only been once before). We were on our way to the Academy now. The path was lined with trees and blooming flowers; vines of roses climbed the iron gate, adding beauty on top of beauty. We stepped through, and there it was: a grand, elegant wooden cottage overlooking a vast lake where swans danced on the water, surrounded by trees on every side—like a painting straight out of a fairy-tale realm. Except we really were in a fairy-tale realm!
We climbed the stairs searching for our classroom and stopped at the very last room in the corner of the building. The moment we arrived, a voice echoed out of nowhere:
"Student Leo has arrived… Student Arine has arrived… Student Anna has arrived."
We spun around—no source in sight.
The boy we'd seen with Leo yesterday stepped out of the classroom.
"If you're looking for where the voice came from, you won't find it. It's the Academy's special system."
"We're in the same class?" Leo asked, stunned.
"Yep."
"What a wonderful coincidence," he deadpanned.
We walked in. Instead of desks and chairs, the room was filled with floor cushions. Four circles were already occupied; only one remained empty. Most students had arrived and taken their places. We claimed the empty circle—six cushions in total.
"So the four of us are one group?" I asked.
"Five, actually. We're still missing one," replied a dark-skinned boy sitting beside the black-haired boy from yesterday.
"You were wandering around for an entire hour and ended up here, Yuta?"
"Don't remind me. My feet are killing me. Anyway—introduce yourselves. The five of us are a team from now on."
Anna and I exchanged looks. She groaned.
"Are the groups mixed gender? Ugh, I hate that."
"They're mixed because the missions would be too hard if a team was single-gender."
"Total nonsense."
"Miss Grumpy, why don't you just introduce yourself and get it over with?"
"Tch. You first—since you're asking."
"Yuta, thirteen, Levaran, born in Arkio."
"Anna, thirteen, Levaran with Arinian citizenship."
"Arine, twelve, Levaran with Arinian citizenship. Looking forward to spending time with you all!"
"Zayn, thirteen, Levaran with Arkian citizenship."
"Leo, eleven and a half."
Anna stared at Leo in shock.
"That's really your age?"
"Huh? Are you stupid? How old did you think I was?"
"I thought you were older than me!"
"Leo's three months younger than me, Anna," I said. "He was born in March, the start of spring. You didn't know that? He's your cousin!"
"I thought March the same year, not the year after!"
Yuta cut in, curious.
"So you two are related?"
"Leo and Anna are cousins. Leo and I are basically cousins too."
"Oh, so three of you are family. Though you don't look anything like Leo, Arine."
"Yeah, because I don't look like my parents. Apparently I take after Mom's side of the family."
I've never seen a picture of Mom's family, never met them. Actually… I don't even know her maiden name.
"Hmm, weird. Why do you say it like that? Don't you know them?"
Zayn lightly smacked the back of Yuta's head.
"Stop prying into someone else's family business."
"Always such a bore, Zayn."
"Don't call me that, Yuta."
"Zayn, Zayn, Zayn—"
Zayn clamped his hand over Yuta's mouth, growling.
"Say it one more time and you'll regret it."
"What's the big deal?" Anna asked. "He just said your name."
"The problem, dear Anna's friend, is that my name is Zayn—with a fatha on the z—not Zīn with a kasra."
"It's the same thing. The meaning doesn't change."
Zayn muttered under his breath.
"Great. Another Yuta."
A tiny laugh escaped me. I glanced at Leo—he had his chin in his hand, staring into space with utter boredom. I gently poked his cheek.
"What are you staring at, Leo?"
"Nothing. I'm bored. When's the teacher getting here?"
"You mean me?"
Leo and I nearly jumped out of our skins. We whipped around—there stood a tall woman with brown hair and brown eyes. When did she appear? How did we not sense her at all?!
She walked calmly between the four groups until she reached her desk at the front.
"I'm Minako—your teacher for this year. It's a pleasure to meet you all."