Silverleaf Academy

Brielle stood in the headmistresses elegant office, which looked more like a castle, rambling aimlessly. Everytime the headmistresses wanted to say something, Brielle started talking again. The princesses had a lot of patience but were losing it.

“Headmistress Belle, Headmistress Ella, Headmistress Snow, & Headmistress Briar, I can explain. It’s just that too much pressure came over me because I didn't want to leave my parents and then my mom said it's an order so I had to go, oh, and the envelope. First it wasn't there than it was. Then there were butterflies. The butterflies were there and then they weren't. Same with the school. And then Tom asked me if I'm going to the Revelation Ceremony or something like that, and then aI asked what it was and he told me it was for finding out magic and jus~” Headmistress Briar stood up and screamed, “STOP! Ahem.”
Brielle immediately stopped talking. Belle glared at Briar. “Must you?” Princess Briar looked embarrassed. “I’m sorry, I just have a severe headache and she won’t stop talking.”
“Nevertheless, that is not how a princess acts,” Princess Belle said.

“Brielle, we want to prove it to you,” Brielle looked up. “How do I know It’s not a trick?” Princess Belle picked up a pot of soil and set it in front of Brielle.
“Because we aren't going to do it, you are.”
Brielle’s mouth hung open. A minute ago, she was screaming at her friends that magic isn't real, and now she was going to do it? But by Headmistress Snow’s gaze, it looked like she had no choice. She stepped forward.

“Now,” said Princess Belle, standing up. “Cup your hands around the flower pot and close your eyes.” Brielle hesitated. They might be princesses, but she didn't quite trust them yet. “Can I keep my eyes open?” Brielle asked. Princess Belle rolled eyes and sighed.
“If you can imagine something with your eyes open.”
Brielle nodded. “I can totally do that, I do it all the time.” She noticed Headmistress Ella was looking at her weirdly.
Princess Belle clapped her hands. “Let’s start. Brielle, you see this flower pot?” Brielle nodded. “Imagine a seed in the soil.” She glanced at Brielle. “Now, imagine that seed sprouting into a seedling.” Brielle imagined it and tried her best to concentrate. She looked down at the pot. An eerie purple glow came from her hands. A seedling sprouted. It was kind of wilty.
Brielle gasped.
“Concentrate. Now, imagine that seedling growing, and growing, and then one day, it grows a big bud. A flower is going to bloom.” Brielle focused her eyes on the seedling and imagined it growing a bud. This time, she closed her eyes, and kept them that way. Headmistress Belle had gained Brielle’s trust.

“Now, spring comes, and that bud blooms into a flower. A large healthy flower.” Princess Belle looked at Brielle. She was so proud of her. Brielle had absolutely no training, and she had sprouted a perfect, healthy flower out of thin air. Princess Belle smiled. “Now, open your eyes.”

Brielle opened her eyes. She started crying. Princess Belle came over to her. “What’s wrong?” Brielle laughed. “These are tears of joy. I did that! I did that with my own hands!” Princess Belle laughed too. “Yes, yes you did. Now, do you believe me?” Brielle nodded. She felt so bad for screaming at her friends like that. “She wiggled out of Princess Belle’s grasp and ran out the door. “Sorry! I have to go!” Princess Snow chuckled. “Youth.”



On the way to her dorm room, Brielle knocked over a cart full of clean sheets, tripped the scullery maid, and was given a map of the school by Professor Swan, the magic animals teacher.

When Brielle finally got to her room, she burst in. All her roommates were there, plus Tom. They all looked at her as she burst in.
“Oh, my god!” Brielle screamed and gave everyone a hug, even Tom. “Guys I’m so sorry, I don’t know what came over me. Will you please forgive me?”
Kyra shrugged. Marla smiled. “Who said we were mad at you?”
“I mean, if I didn't know my whole life, that magic was real, and somebody just tells me, I would go mental too. Not that I said you went mental.”
Kyra shrugged again and laughed. “I mean, your reaction was pretty priceless.”
Brielle laughed and hugged them all. Fern broke the hug. “Want to go to the library and explore?” Brielle nodded. “Count me in,” said Marla. Everyone turned to Kyra. “Count me out,” she said. “I have only ever stepped into a library three times and I am not about to break that record.”
“Can I come?” Tom asked. “Oh, so we’re suddenly cool enough for you to hangout with?” Marla teased Tom.

“Did you know that Ayden used to be ruled by a monarch?” The kids were in the library, and nobody was listening to Brielle, but she kept going on. “It was a queen named Queen Celeste and she was unelected queen by the people of Ayden. Ayden is the only kingdom without a reigning monarch.” Tom looked up from his book about sword fighting.
“Cool.”
Brielle frowned.

“Brielle, over here,” Fern was sitting at the other side of the library on a table. Brielle walked over to her. She had a quill in her hand and a parchment layed out in front of her. “I found a post pigeon who is willing to deliver a letter to your mother.” Brielle was confused.
“What’s a post pigeon?”
Fern smiled. “Oh, right. You’re new to the whole magic thing. We use post pigeons to deliver letters to people. We whistle a specific tune that calls our very own post pigeons.” Fern says. “Then we write our letter and then tell the pigeon the location, and it delivers it there.” Fern strokes the pigeon. “It was one of the first spells I ever learned.” Brielle smiled.
“What’s the spell?” Fern looked up at her. “You mean, the words? Oh, there's none.”
Brielle made a confused face. “You don’t need to say a spell because these pigeons are magical. They will listen to you.” Brielle nodded.
“Can I do it later? I mean, um, with more privacy?”
“Of course!”
“Thanks,” Brielle said.

Marla was going through a book about magic powers and their inheritance. She stumbled upon a page which made her frown. She tapped on Brielle’s shoulder.
“Look at this,” she said and pointed at the page. “It says that you must inherit your powers from someone. They can’t just come to you.” Brielle frowned. “Then how come she has powers?” Kyra asked, who had decided to come since she was getting bored. She wasn't reading though.
“So, are you saying my parents have magical powers too?” Brielle asked. “Could be possible,” said Tom. Brielle shook her head. “If my parents had powers, then they would have been rich by now. Why would my father work so hard for something he could just zap up?”
“Or maybe, they don’t,” said Marla.
Brielle looked back at Marla. “If they don’t, then it doesn't explain why I can do magic.” Marla set the book down. “Or,” she said slowly. “Maybe because you're adopted.” Brielle stared at her for quite a while, then ran out of the room.
“You know what, I bet neither of us would like if I screamed at you twice in one day, so I’m just going to leave. “


Brielle lay in her dark, canopy bed, thinking about her time so far at the academy.
When Cassandra had first brought them to their dorm, all the girls rushed to get the white beds, but Brielle stuck to the dark one.
Brielle wondered what her parents were doing right now, if they were missing her as much as she was missing them.
Brielle got up from her bed and walked over to her desk. She pulled out a pot of ink, and a piece of parchment she had borrowed from the librarian. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a gold quill with a single emerald on it.
Brielle’s mother had given her the quill when she had first started writing. It was Brielle’s most prized possession and she always kept it with her. She smiled at the memory.

Brielle gingerly held her quill and began to write.

Dear Mama & Papa,
Oh, I miss you so much!
I got here safely, if you were wondering. I’m having fun.
Did you know the school has four headmistresses?! On my first day, I made a big scene in the refectory. Guess what?
This school is for magic.

Brielle looked at what she had just written and frowned. Am I allowed to tell them that? Is it a secret? Brielle thought. She shook her head and crumbled the parchment in her fist. She started again.

Dear Mama & Papa,
Oh, I miss you so much!
I got here safely, if you were wondering.

Brielle stared at the parchment.A minute ago, she was bursting with words. Now nothing came to her. She picked up the parchment and folded it symmetrically. She whistled the tune Fern had taught her. Since she didn't have her own post pigeon yet, Fern had lended her hers.

Suddenly, Brielle got an idea. She rushed over to Kyra’s bed and shoved her. She woke up immediately. Kyra rubbed her eyes sleepy and glared at Brielle.
“What do you want?” Kyra grumbled.
Brielle smiled. “You have to come with me to the library.” Brielle said. It was an idea that had just struck her. When Brielle was little, whenever she was feeling sad, her mother would come to her room and say, “Want to go break some rules?” Brielle would jump out of her bed and run to her mom.
Kyra stared at Brielle for a whole ten seconds before saying, “Uh uh.”
She pulled her covers back over her head.
Brielle sighed and pulled back her covers. “I thought you loved breaking rules,” she said. Kyra sat up.
“You want to break rules? And here I was thinking you're goody two shoes. Also, why would I put my future in danger by going with you?”