Chapter 1: What school?

"Jinhee-ah! Get yourself ready, we're going somewhere!"

Mom said from the kitchen below, apparently cooking the breakfast which I was supposed to eat three hours ago. The smell of bacon and eggs lingered and the air but didn't stop me from grazing my eyebrows off for the exams. I closed my book. "But mom! I'm studying!" I huffed and blew my bangs.

I hate it when someone disturb me when studying. I mean, who doesn't? Especially when you're concentrated trying to think how you can pass your exam without getting a red mark on your card. 

"Its okay! You will not need it anymore!"

What? 

"It was just yesterday when said I need to burn my eyebrows for the exam next week!” I rolled my eyes and opened my book to review. Math, math, art, whatever.

Then I  heard footsteps- mom running up the stairs and suddenly popping in my room's doorway. She looked at me while catching her breath.

"You're transferring Jinhee, you don't need that anymore." she spoke. 

Transferring?

"You mean transferring to another school?" I almost choked on my own saliva. Still trying to comprehend what she just said. "In the middle of the school year?"

She walked towards my bed and sat beside me.

"Oh don’t worry about that, the school you are transferring only started their first week this week. Isn't that great?" she giggled and did googly eyes for no particular reason.

Seriously?

"Mom, don't do that anymore. Or I'll puke, okay?" I said while giving her a stop-that-please look

"Why? Isn't that how girls these days laugh?” she pouted.

No mom, I don't even do that.

"Okay okay, I understand, I'll change my clothes already." I said while escorting mom out of my room.

"Mom! I'm ready!" I called out. But mom didn’t answer. I checked outside my room and down the stairs but she's not there. I looked outside the window and saw mom. Doing the garden again, as always.

Mom always loved plants, she talks with them and always give them a higher priority than herself. I also noticed that she has something with plants. I remember when the neighbor's dogs came and wrecked her garden, all her tulips got murdered and some of her plants got shredded. The next day I came from school, the garden was back to normal and had no signs of the dogs' havoc.

"Mom!" I yelled outside. She looked at me with a hand shading her eyes from the sunlight.

She raised her hand and motioned 'wait' so I sat on the sofa and fiddled with my phone.

A minute after, she opened the front door smiling. "So are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," I gave her a smile and a thumb up.

We rode on a taxi and sat there comfortably. The seat is strangely soft and the tasi unusually cold but I ignored it anyway.

The driver drove the taxi to the forest where I don’t go because it looks so scary. Passing by already creeped me out.

He dropped us on the middle of nowhere and looked at mom. She thanked and paid the driver like nothing was happening and looked at me.

This is so weird.

“We’re here Jinhee-ah!” she happily said.

Here? Like where?

“I don’t see any building here or any gate or school or what. Where are we?”

She pointed at an old looking tree. “There. Let’s go there.”

"Mom... are you crazy?"

She glared at me.

"Okay."  I shrugged and just followed her.

She touched the wood and said some words I don't quite understand because her voice sounds like a mouse.

"What are you saying?” My face scrunched up, asking quizzically. She just looked at me and said “Wait for it.”

The tree glowed and opened like some kind of portal to nowhere.

"Come," she motioned me to go over. I shook my head and instead I motioned her to go over.

"No mom. You go first.” I said. If something happens, she’ll be the first one to know, just to be sure. 

I am such a bad child.

"Sure honey."

She went inside and I followed her. All I can see was light at the end of the portal. I can already feel something unusual about where we're going. Like a strong aura coming from somewhere.

After a blinding light, tall pine trees framed the road to a big black gate. As we get closer, I noticed something on the gate.

C and A? What's C and A? 

"Here we are honey!" mom said, holding her hands over her head.

"Where?"

"Cloud Academy!"

author's note:

Well there goes the first chapter! Hope you stay with me 'till the end! ^^