As the bus rocketed forward, Isabelle, Benjamin, and Sebastian held on to the edges of the seats, as the driver instructed. Isabelle looked out the window just when a bunch of colors flashed through the glass by her very eyes. The colors died down as sprinkles of magenta mist appeared below the bus, along with the rainbow vortex on the horizon. Watching the imagery in front of her nearly took her breath away. She was in awe, at a loss for words.

The driver removed his human disguise, revealing himself to be a skeleton. He examined his bony feature in the rearview mirror before making another turn.

He explained to Isabelle that they were driving on small stars composed of stardust. He also told her that ordinary human beings couldn’t touch or get into contact with it, or else risk falling through the void or, worse, suffocating due to lack of air. Isabelle gulped and backed herself up against the seat, her grip around the chair tightening.

It was so much to take in. She didn’t know if she could handle it. Isabelle finally got to be a part of something bigger, her worldview expanding greater than before. But something still bothered her, and she couldn’t put her finger on what. Isabelle wanted to expand her horizons, knowledge, and encounter new and exciting things in her once mundane life. It was too late to get cold feet; not like she wanted to turn back now or anything.

Sure, she morphed the sphere and fought alongside a powerful magician, but was she just lucky, or did she have the potential for something greater? Isabelle had a rush of emotions in her: excitement, nervousness, joy, fear. Would she be able to fit in? Can she make use of this new opportunity laid down on her feet?

On the way to their destination, Sebastian peeked his head out from behind the cushion.

“Hey, are you excited?”

“Of course,” Isabelle replied, trying to stay positive. “But I’m also nervous about how things will go for me.”

“Yeah, I don’t blame you. You’ll be the first human to attend this monster academy!”

“I’m pretty sure the new term is Demi, so it’s technically a Demi academy.” Benjamin corrected him.

“Demi? Did they change the term or something?”

“It was Isabelle’s idea, after all.”

“Oh, how neat.”

Isabelle lowered her head. “But why me?” She asked, staring at her hands. “How did I end up being the one to attend a place like this? I’m so ordinary.”

Sebastian and Benjamin paused, unsure how to respond. As much as they didn’t want to admit it, she had a point. It was rare for the school to allow humans in, especially if they hadn't registered or had special powers.

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“You formed the crystal sphere with your weapon before Benjamin could, so that might be it.” Sebastian pointed out. “You’re smart, after all.”

“Or maybe she’s always had that special spark in her,” Benjamin said, pointing at her chest. “You never know.”

“That sounds pretty corny,” Isabelle replied with a wry smile.

“I don’t know, ok?”

“No, it’s ok. I appreciate the thought, both of you.” Isabelle gave a sad chuckle as she looked down at her clasped hands.

This was something she’d need to think about. Hopefully, she’d find her answers when they got there. It wouldn’t do her any good to mope around and let her friends worry. There were other things to focus on and be excited about.

Eventually, the bus came to a complete stop. The doors opened as Bridget, another familiar face, stepped inside with her luggage along with her new familiar, the green Pilkon, Midoricha.

Benjamin and Sebastian excitedly greeted her, while Isabelle stared at the floor and twiddled her thumbs. Bridget welcomed them back, including Isabelle, as she sat beside Sebastian.

“Ok, if everyone’s ready, we’ll be heading out.” The driver announced. The others clenched on the seats and held on for dear life. “Relax, you guys; we’re not too far off now, so we’ll take this nice and slow.” He assured them, making the group sigh in relief.

“Long time no see.” Sebastian turned to Bridget and said. “How have you been doing?”

“Doing great.” She chirped, petting Midori on the head. “We’ve been doing some research on our spells and training. Midori and I hoped to get a head start on our studies.”

“Of course, that’s definitely something you’d do.”

Bridget peeked her head out and looked at Isabelle. “Hey there, I don’t suppose we’ve met before.” She smiled at her and introduced herself. “My name’s Bridget, and this is Midoricha, my familiar.”

Isabelle held her head high and smiled right back at her. “Oh, I’m Isabelle; it’s nice to meet you.”

“So, you’re the new student that’ll be attending?”

“Yeah, that’s right. It’s nice seeing new people outside of the academy first thing. I hope we get along well.”

“Same here.”

Soon, the bus came to another stop. Isabelle could hardly contain the excitement bubbling up inside her. All the doubts and worries disappeared as she hobbled from her seat, unable to sit still. She fidgeted with her seatbelt, eager to go out and explore. The others made sure she didn’t fall off her seat before the bus doors opened.

“Everyone, we’ve arrived at our destination.” The skeleton driver proclaimed, turning to face the students. “Welcome to Rixonia.”

Everyone looked out the windows as they stared at the school building in front of them. A large magenta building with transparent windows and a brown roof stood before them. It had two bridges connected to the sides, leading to towers acting as buildings. On the ground were pumpkins and torches next to the stone tiles leading up to the grand door. The door had purple on one side and yellow on the other, with a black line separating the two colors.

“Enjoy your stay.” The driver said as he tipped his hat to the students.

“We will, thanks.” They chirped in unison.

The spider gates slowly opened as the four got off the bus. They made their way to the school, marveling at the sight along the way.

From above, at the highest level, a figure lurking in the shadows spotted the students getting off the bus.

“Oh, they finally made it. Hopefully, they have a safe time here.” They said to themselves. The figure had already taken out a contraption and pulled the lever, opening the gates and allowing the other students to enter the school grounds. They then picked up their orb and turned it at an angle, attempting to dial it and contact somebody. “I should tell her about this.”