A/N - The first chapter was EXTREMELY long! I don't think I'll be writing
another chapter that long for a while. I'm sorry if it takes me a while to
update this story (or any of them) because of school right now. Also, as
you may or may not have noticed, I have several stories in progress. I get
all these ideas in my head, and then I like to put them down and then put
them on the web. However, because I have so many good ideas, my time must
be split, and what story I work on can depend on what mood I'm in. Now, if
you're tired of me blabbing on up here, I'll shut up so that you can read
the chapter.
Chapter Two - A New Life Begins
The next morning, Hannah was awoken by somebody calling her name. "Hannahlana, Hannahlana, wake up," the voice said. Hannah opened her eyes, and saw a maid. "I'm Euphemia," she introduced herself. "Either Mary or I will wake you up by eight, if you're not already up. Regardless, someone will come at eight to get your bath, or shower, ready. We will also stay to help you get dressed." She looked in the wardrobe for a moment, "once you get some better clothes."
"So, which do you prefer?" Euphemia asked. "Bath, or shower?"
After a warm shower, Hannah dressed, and Euphemia took her where breakfast would be served. It was an old room that was not kept up well. The cupboards, which did not shut properly, seemed to hold old toys. There were a lot of big windows, but the furniture was battered, and the carpet was stained.
Mary was already there, along with Julia and Roger. Mary opened the cupboard closest to the fireplace. There was an odd lift system, and she brought out a tray full of bread and butter, and a jug of cocoa. Euphemia took the tray and gave each person their first piece of bread and some butter, while Mary poured three glasses of cocoa.
Before the three children had time to say anything to each other, Drew came in. Mary went to the lift again, and up came a steaming plate of eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, and a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. Mary placed it in front of Drew, who began eating at once. Julia and Roger followed.
Hannah, who was quite hungry after not eating much the night before, was still unsure about eating in front of other people. She was keenly aware of how some people watched other's eating habits like a hawk, and was afraid of this. She knew it was silly, and that everyone would probably ignore her, but she couldn't help it.
Chrestomanci walked in, all dressed up. Hannah decided that he always wore fancy clothes. She was starting to wonder what he wore when there were guests for dinner. "Good morning, children," he said.
"Good morning, Father," Julia and Roger said in unison. Hannah figured that this was another saying they practiced.
"Good morning, Drew," Chrestomanci said, smiling.
"Good morning, Sir," Drew said, smiling as well.
Hannah sat in silence, wondering if she was going to be acknowledged or not. It was obvious she was not, when Chrestomanci went on. "As you may or may not know, today lessons will resume. They will, Drew, occur at nine o-clock sharp with Mr. Saunders in the room on the other side of that door." He pointed to a door on the other side of the room. "I hope you have a good day," he said, and then left the room.
Hannah guessed that it was about eight thirty, and began secretly putting her bread, unbuttered, onto her napkin, which was on her lap. She then got up and left the room, hiding the napkin. She made a mental not to bring a safety pin to her meals, and went to her room. She ate her plain bread alone, and decided that she would bring the napkin with her when she went back for lessons.
At about ten to nine, Hannah headed back to the room with the napkin. She took her time, admiring the castle as she went. By the time she got there, even Drew, who had always been a slow eater, was finished. She sat back down at her seat and placed her napkin on the table.
It was only a few minutes before Mr. Saunders came in through the other door and announced that it was time for lessons. They entered the room, which was really just a plain classroom with four desks. The front two looked like they were old and someone had attempted to make them look new. The back two were in relatively good shape.
Julia and Roger sat in the front two. Hannah sat behind Julia and Drew sat behind Roger. Hannah realized that Julia and Roger were both about her age. Mr. Saunders gave each of them a math workbook, a blank book, some blank paper, a fountain pen, a jar of ink, and a stack of textbooks. "This is yours," he said in a confident voice. "If you lose it, too bad. The only thing you can get more of is ink, and paper."
He looked at the four of them, and nobody protested. "All right, then. We shall begin with a review." He then began asking questions and randomly picking on someone to answer. Although he picked mostly the other three, he occasionally did ask Hannah. She was so used to being ignored that she didn't hear the question. Instead of having the shame of asking him to repeat it, she simply said she didn't know.
This was a new idea to Hannah. In her school back at home, there were enough students willing to answer the questions that she almost never had to answer a question. She decided that maybe it would be okay to lie and sometimes say she didn't know the answer, or get it wrong on purpose. As Mr. Saunders continued to ask questions, Hannah got about one out of every five right. As for the other four, half were incorrect answers, and the rest was saying that she didn't know.
Hannah knew that Drew didn't know a whole lot, unless it was about magic. But he did know a few things. She planned it so that it looked like he knew more than she did. She knew that this was not really the case. After one brutal hour of questions, Mr. Saunders assigned them individual tasks. Julia was working out of her math workbook, Roger was answering questions out of a textbook, Drew was reading a story in his English textbook, and Hannah was supposed to write an essay about whether or not the ancient Greek government is similar to the current-day government.
She was about to start writing, when she realized that to keep up her image, she would have to take out her History textbook and read about ancient Greek government. She would probably have to read about the current government, too. She thought a moment, and then put her name of the paper. She then read about the ancient Greek government, and the current government.
Figuring that she should get on with it, she began an introductory paragraph. It didn't lead into the essay very well, and her thesis was weak, but those were on purpose. She then wrote one paragraph about the ancient Greek government. She did a lot a listing, and copied a few things right out of the book, and didn't explain the significance of most things. She did the same thing in her next paragraph about the current government.
Her fourth paragraph was about the similarities between the two. It wasn't an extremely hard essay. What she wrote wasn't that bad, although she didn't say how anything supported her thesis. She then went for the ultimate no-no. Her last paragraph was about the differences. That meant that she didn't take a position. She would never have done it under normal circumstances, but an inexperienced essay writer might. It also meant that she didn't have a conclusion, another no-no.
When Hannah finished, Mr. Saunders was looking at Julia's work. She knew better than to disturb him. Instead, she put her pen and ink away, and stared at her desk. She wanted to read her History book, but knew that if she wanted to keep up her image, she could not.
When Mr. Saunders finished with Julia, he saw that Hannah wasn't doing anything. He sighed, and picked up her essay. "Open your math workbook and start on page one," he instructed. Hannah did so. She saw that is was all two-digit addition. She figured that almost anybody would get them right. So, she answered honestly, but made the marks for carrying digits, even thought she didn't need to.
It didn't take Mr. Saunders long to grade her essay. He finished, and then sat at his desk. He pulled out a bottle of red ink and a pen, and began writing comments. It didn't take him long to do that, either. He put a few notes, which Hannah figured were short and to the point. She didn't expect him to waste his time with her.
He opened a drawer, and pulled out a workbook. He then stood up, brought her essay back, and said in a quiet voice, "Your essay needs help." He handed her the book. It was Workbook for Good Essay Writing. "Do one section a week. I will collect it every Monday."
He then went up to the front of the class. In a louder voice, he said, "Because I am unsure of what level you are all at, tomorrow I shall test you in each of the subjects. With the exception of the review, this may be a sample of a typical day." He paused, and looked at the clock. It was just then that Hannah realized it was already eleven o-clock. Writing a bad essay was hard work.
"Drew, you may be excused at this time, until lunch. It is at this time that Julia and Roger receive witchcraft lessons. I'm sorry that you are not allowed to participate, but Chrestomanci said that the two of you are not allowed to take witchcraft lessons. He may reconsider in a year or two, depending on his level of trust."
Drew got up to leave, disappointed that he would have to put off magic. It wasn't until he was about to start with Julia and Roger that Mr. Saunders noticed that Hannah was still there. "The same goes for you, Hannahlana," he said, as thought she was either stupid, or recalcitrant. Hannah figured it was both. "Get out," he said sternly.
Hannah didn't need to be told twice. She saw that Drew had left all his stuff under his desk, so she did the same. The only thing she took was her essay workbook. When she got out of the room, it was obvious that Drew wanted nothing to do with her; he was already down the hall and almost out of sight.
Hannah, knowing that there was no point in following him, headed off in the other direction. She wandered, having no real idea of where she was. She did make sure to remember which way she went so that she could retrace her steps. Although she was trying to keep her manners and stay out of all the rooms she saw, one open door got the best of her.
The room was dark, despite the windows. Hannah figured it was yet another enchantment on the castle. There were comfortable-looking blankets and a couch and even a bed. However, the room didn't seem to be set up for a human. It was then that Hannah noticed something ginger laying on the bed.
It was a cat, which seemed to be sleeping. Yet, it picked up it's head and looked at Hannah as she approached. Hannah had a feeling that the cat was inspecting her, although she dismissed the thought. After all, cats didn't inspect people.
Hannah sat down on the bed, next to the cat. "Hello there little kitty," she said. She had always liked animals. They never seemed to care whether people had magic or not. She gently put a hand out to pet the cat. In response, it stretched out its head and exposed its next. Taking this as an invitation, Hannah stroked the cat's neck.
The cat began to purr, and stretched out a little more. Then, feeling very content, the cat rolled over, exposing its belly. Cautiously, Hannah moved her hand down to rub the cat's belly. It didn't object, save for purring louder. After a few minutes, Hannah's arm grew tired. She simply let it rest on the cat for a minute.
Becoming bored, Hannah stood up. For a moment, she felt dizzy, but after that, she just felt tired. Dismissing it as nothing more than the sleepyness of the cat rubbing off on her, she left the room. Behind her, she heard a faint "Wong."
A/N - It's me again. I think this is a better length for this chapter, and for chapters to come. What I put in the first chapter was illogical; no chapter should have that many ideas crammed into it. As a reader, please be patient with my story. Some of the problems or mysteries of this story are obvious, while other are more subtle. But fear not, everything will be revealed in time, and eventually solved. I have two endings in mind, and I'm not sure which one I will put up. Maybe I will put them both up. That would be difficult, because they would have totally different lead in's. I'll think about it. Until my next chapter.
Special Thanks - Where I thank those who have reviewed my story so far.
Well, um, thanks goes out to Kookle Wrenford, then only person (except for my sister) who has reviewed my story so far.
I'm hoping that I can get more readers soon, because I'd hate to write this story but have only a few people read it.
Chapter Two - A New Life Begins
The next morning, Hannah was awoken by somebody calling her name. "Hannahlana, Hannahlana, wake up," the voice said. Hannah opened her eyes, and saw a maid. "I'm Euphemia," she introduced herself. "Either Mary or I will wake you up by eight, if you're not already up. Regardless, someone will come at eight to get your bath, or shower, ready. We will also stay to help you get dressed." She looked in the wardrobe for a moment, "once you get some better clothes."
"So, which do you prefer?" Euphemia asked. "Bath, or shower?"
After a warm shower, Hannah dressed, and Euphemia took her where breakfast would be served. It was an old room that was not kept up well. The cupboards, which did not shut properly, seemed to hold old toys. There were a lot of big windows, but the furniture was battered, and the carpet was stained.
Mary was already there, along with Julia and Roger. Mary opened the cupboard closest to the fireplace. There was an odd lift system, and she brought out a tray full of bread and butter, and a jug of cocoa. Euphemia took the tray and gave each person their first piece of bread and some butter, while Mary poured three glasses of cocoa.
Before the three children had time to say anything to each other, Drew came in. Mary went to the lift again, and up came a steaming plate of eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, and a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. Mary placed it in front of Drew, who began eating at once. Julia and Roger followed.
Hannah, who was quite hungry after not eating much the night before, was still unsure about eating in front of other people. She was keenly aware of how some people watched other's eating habits like a hawk, and was afraid of this. She knew it was silly, and that everyone would probably ignore her, but she couldn't help it.
Chrestomanci walked in, all dressed up. Hannah decided that he always wore fancy clothes. She was starting to wonder what he wore when there were guests for dinner. "Good morning, children," he said.
"Good morning, Father," Julia and Roger said in unison. Hannah figured that this was another saying they practiced.
"Good morning, Drew," Chrestomanci said, smiling.
"Good morning, Sir," Drew said, smiling as well.
Hannah sat in silence, wondering if she was going to be acknowledged or not. It was obvious she was not, when Chrestomanci went on. "As you may or may not know, today lessons will resume. They will, Drew, occur at nine o-clock sharp with Mr. Saunders in the room on the other side of that door." He pointed to a door on the other side of the room. "I hope you have a good day," he said, and then left the room.
Hannah guessed that it was about eight thirty, and began secretly putting her bread, unbuttered, onto her napkin, which was on her lap. She then got up and left the room, hiding the napkin. She made a mental not to bring a safety pin to her meals, and went to her room. She ate her plain bread alone, and decided that she would bring the napkin with her when she went back for lessons.
At about ten to nine, Hannah headed back to the room with the napkin. She took her time, admiring the castle as she went. By the time she got there, even Drew, who had always been a slow eater, was finished. She sat back down at her seat and placed her napkin on the table.
It was only a few minutes before Mr. Saunders came in through the other door and announced that it was time for lessons. They entered the room, which was really just a plain classroom with four desks. The front two looked like they were old and someone had attempted to make them look new. The back two were in relatively good shape.
Julia and Roger sat in the front two. Hannah sat behind Julia and Drew sat behind Roger. Hannah realized that Julia and Roger were both about her age. Mr. Saunders gave each of them a math workbook, a blank book, some blank paper, a fountain pen, a jar of ink, and a stack of textbooks. "This is yours," he said in a confident voice. "If you lose it, too bad. The only thing you can get more of is ink, and paper."
He looked at the four of them, and nobody protested. "All right, then. We shall begin with a review." He then began asking questions and randomly picking on someone to answer. Although he picked mostly the other three, he occasionally did ask Hannah. She was so used to being ignored that she didn't hear the question. Instead of having the shame of asking him to repeat it, she simply said she didn't know.
This was a new idea to Hannah. In her school back at home, there were enough students willing to answer the questions that she almost never had to answer a question. She decided that maybe it would be okay to lie and sometimes say she didn't know the answer, or get it wrong on purpose. As Mr. Saunders continued to ask questions, Hannah got about one out of every five right. As for the other four, half were incorrect answers, and the rest was saying that she didn't know.
Hannah knew that Drew didn't know a whole lot, unless it was about magic. But he did know a few things. She planned it so that it looked like he knew more than she did. She knew that this was not really the case. After one brutal hour of questions, Mr. Saunders assigned them individual tasks. Julia was working out of her math workbook, Roger was answering questions out of a textbook, Drew was reading a story in his English textbook, and Hannah was supposed to write an essay about whether or not the ancient Greek government is similar to the current-day government.
She was about to start writing, when she realized that to keep up her image, she would have to take out her History textbook and read about ancient Greek government. She would probably have to read about the current government, too. She thought a moment, and then put her name of the paper. She then read about the ancient Greek government, and the current government.
Figuring that she should get on with it, she began an introductory paragraph. It didn't lead into the essay very well, and her thesis was weak, but those were on purpose. She then wrote one paragraph about the ancient Greek government. She did a lot a listing, and copied a few things right out of the book, and didn't explain the significance of most things. She did the same thing in her next paragraph about the current government.
Her fourth paragraph was about the similarities between the two. It wasn't an extremely hard essay. What she wrote wasn't that bad, although she didn't say how anything supported her thesis. She then went for the ultimate no-no. Her last paragraph was about the differences. That meant that she didn't take a position. She would never have done it under normal circumstances, but an inexperienced essay writer might. It also meant that she didn't have a conclusion, another no-no.
When Hannah finished, Mr. Saunders was looking at Julia's work. She knew better than to disturb him. Instead, she put her pen and ink away, and stared at her desk. She wanted to read her History book, but knew that if she wanted to keep up her image, she could not.
When Mr. Saunders finished with Julia, he saw that Hannah wasn't doing anything. He sighed, and picked up her essay. "Open your math workbook and start on page one," he instructed. Hannah did so. She saw that is was all two-digit addition. She figured that almost anybody would get them right. So, she answered honestly, but made the marks for carrying digits, even thought she didn't need to.
It didn't take Mr. Saunders long to grade her essay. He finished, and then sat at his desk. He pulled out a bottle of red ink and a pen, and began writing comments. It didn't take him long to do that, either. He put a few notes, which Hannah figured were short and to the point. She didn't expect him to waste his time with her.
He opened a drawer, and pulled out a workbook. He then stood up, brought her essay back, and said in a quiet voice, "Your essay needs help." He handed her the book. It was Workbook for Good Essay Writing. "Do one section a week. I will collect it every Monday."
He then went up to the front of the class. In a louder voice, he said, "Because I am unsure of what level you are all at, tomorrow I shall test you in each of the subjects. With the exception of the review, this may be a sample of a typical day." He paused, and looked at the clock. It was just then that Hannah realized it was already eleven o-clock. Writing a bad essay was hard work.
"Drew, you may be excused at this time, until lunch. It is at this time that Julia and Roger receive witchcraft lessons. I'm sorry that you are not allowed to participate, but Chrestomanci said that the two of you are not allowed to take witchcraft lessons. He may reconsider in a year or two, depending on his level of trust."
Drew got up to leave, disappointed that he would have to put off magic. It wasn't until he was about to start with Julia and Roger that Mr. Saunders noticed that Hannah was still there. "The same goes for you, Hannahlana," he said, as thought she was either stupid, or recalcitrant. Hannah figured it was both. "Get out," he said sternly.
Hannah didn't need to be told twice. She saw that Drew had left all his stuff under his desk, so she did the same. The only thing she took was her essay workbook. When she got out of the room, it was obvious that Drew wanted nothing to do with her; he was already down the hall and almost out of sight.
Hannah, knowing that there was no point in following him, headed off in the other direction. She wandered, having no real idea of where she was. She did make sure to remember which way she went so that she could retrace her steps. Although she was trying to keep her manners and stay out of all the rooms she saw, one open door got the best of her.
The room was dark, despite the windows. Hannah figured it was yet another enchantment on the castle. There were comfortable-looking blankets and a couch and even a bed. However, the room didn't seem to be set up for a human. It was then that Hannah noticed something ginger laying on the bed.
It was a cat, which seemed to be sleeping. Yet, it picked up it's head and looked at Hannah as she approached. Hannah had a feeling that the cat was inspecting her, although she dismissed the thought. After all, cats didn't inspect people.
Hannah sat down on the bed, next to the cat. "Hello there little kitty," she said. She had always liked animals. They never seemed to care whether people had magic or not. She gently put a hand out to pet the cat. In response, it stretched out its head and exposed its next. Taking this as an invitation, Hannah stroked the cat's neck.
The cat began to purr, and stretched out a little more. Then, feeling very content, the cat rolled over, exposing its belly. Cautiously, Hannah moved her hand down to rub the cat's belly. It didn't object, save for purring louder. After a few minutes, Hannah's arm grew tired. She simply let it rest on the cat for a minute.
Becoming bored, Hannah stood up. For a moment, she felt dizzy, but after that, she just felt tired. Dismissing it as nothing more than the sleepyness of the cat rubbing off on her, she left the room. Behind her, she heard a faint "Wong."
A/N - It's me again. I think this is a better length for this chapter, and for chapters to come. What I put in the first chapter was illogical; no chapter should have that many ideas crammed into it. As a reader, please be patient with my story. Some of the problems or mysteries of this story are obvious, while other are more subtle. But fear not, everything will be revealed in time, and eventually solved. I have two endings in mind, and I'm not sure which one I will put up. Maybe I will put them both up. That would be difficult, because they would have totally different lead in's. I'll think about it. Until my next chapter.
Special Thanks - Where I thank those who have reviewed my story so far.
Well, um, thanks goes out to Kookle Wrenford, then only person (except for my sister) who has reviewed my story so far.
I'm hoping that I can get more readers soon, because I'd hate to write this story but have only a few people read it.