A Life Beyond by Mark Church (ebook reader web TXT) 📕

'Oh don't worry ‘Perfect Pontus’, you’re not safe either mark my words!!' Otto said as he turned back around in the armchair laughing to himself,

'Don't worry about him Harvey, he's just a bully, anyway you can't get hurt in this room. It seems like there is a sort of protection spell in place. Read this' Pontus handed Harvey the parchment paper to read.

'Oh ok so I kind of get it I guess, if what I'm reading is right then we can't get hurt if we stay in this room, meaning we get to practice whatever we need to without actually getting hurt!!!, Ohhhh I like the sound of that' smiled Harvey 'so that means I can do this…' He kicked his leg out catching Pontus right on the shin, he didn't flinch at all but just stood there smiling at Harvey, 'well what about this too..' and Harvey swung his hand out and cracked Pontus right on the side of the cheek, still no movement,

'Didn't feel a thing Harvey' Pontus laughed as Harvey kept aiming slaps and kicks in his direction like a martial arts expert but still no flicker of pain showed on Pontus’ face,

'Oh this is going to be fun' laughed Harvey as they two boy's cracked up into a fit of giggles which then started everyone else off into what resembled a scene from the wild west with children conjuring all sorts of spells on each other without fear of them being hurt, flailing arms catching whoever was in the way but not actually doing any damage, the sound of laughter filled the room as every child was now involved.

Suddenly a familiar voice appeared from somewhere above them,

'WOULD ALL CHILDREN PLEASE NOW SETTLE DOWN, I UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH FUN THIS CAN BE BUT IT IS TIME FOR YOU ALL TO REST BEFORE TOMORROW'S ACTIVITIES' the loud unmistakable voice of Lady Willo filled the room as the children stopped in their tracks to listen to what she was saying,

'NOW EACH ONE OF YOU HAS BEEN DESIGNATED A ROOM WITH ONE OF YOUR CLASSMATES, SO PLEASE NOW FIND YOUR OWN ROOM WHERE YOU WILL FIND ALL YOUR BELONGINGS INSIDE'.

As the children set off to find their room they could see their name appear as if by magic right beside the door itself in big bold letters, Harvey had been paired up with Pontus which he seemed pleased about,

'Oh I'm so glad I'm with you, couldn't stand it if I was with Otto!!' said Harvey as they opened the door to their room and stepped inside looking rather pleased,

'I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings' smiled Pontus as he closed the door behind them with a ‘CLICK’.

As the castle settled down for the night the last of the torches dimmed but rustling could be heard from the darkest corner

'Come...follow me boys...it's time to make our mark!!' as Cahlid

appeared out of the darkness with his gang of friend's all looking like trouble was about to be thrust upon the whole castle, His wicked laugh filled the cold night air as they made their way across the courtyard and sneaked in through the side door of the school ready to unleash evil on a massive scale.

Chapter Twenty-Five

A New Dawn Approaches

As the children awoke for their first day in their new dormitory there seemed to be an air of excitement buzzing around the castle, the sound of children laughing and hollering filled every room no matter which dormitory you walked past, something that the teachers came to notice on their early morning walkabout,

'It's awfully noisy today isn't it!!' laughed Lady Willo as she and Mr Flora walked along the corridors of the castle checking in on every dormitory as they went,

'I totally agree Lady Willo, I have a good feeling about this day, I can't quite put my finger on it but I have a feeling something magical is just around the corner!!' Mr Flora laughed as they turned onto the last corridor to be met by the sight of Pip floating out through the door of the Rivers Cove dormitory shouting as he was being spun around in mid-air,

'Please stop Cahlid..' came his whimpering voice 'I'm feeling sick!!!, pleaseeeee stop it!!'.

A bellowing laugh echoed around the hall as Lady Willo and Mr Flora made their way towards the open room door as Cahlid walked out waving his hands as if directing the way Pip span,

'Mr Undren….' Mr Flora shouted out as he stood there arms crossed and looking angry,

'Ahhhh Mr Flora….' replied Cahlid sarcastically 'so nice to see you again, how are you?' he laughed out loud but it was a laugh that didn't seem like Cahlid’s normal one,

'Just what do you think you are doing to that poor boy?' Mr Flora retorted as he gestured to lower him to the floor,

'Well Mr Flora….Oh and hello to you also Lady Willo' Cahlid replied as he winked at her 'I was just teaching this silly young boy a

lesson...you see he has been very disrespectful to me and I cannot tolerate insolence in any form, I'm hoping he sees this as a very valuable lesson as not to disrespect me anymore….Isn't that right. Boy!!' Pip was still spinning round like a top, his face was starting to go as green as the grass too,

'Y...yes Cahlid...I'm sorry...I'm really sorry, I didn't mean it, It was just a joke!!' Pip was close to tears now and feeling like his breakfast was on its way up,

'DOWN...NOW!!!!' Lady Willo demanded as she stared straight into the darkened eyes of Cahlid who smirked before dropping his hands to his side causing Pip to fall straight onto the cold floor with a THUD,

'OWWWW my nose!!!, that really hurt' Pip cried out as he got up feeling very wobbly and unsteady on his feet 'I think I'm going to be sick!!' Pip said as he pushed his way past the teachers and scampered off down the corridor, weaving all over the place as he ran, bumping and banging into the walls on his way to the bathroom,

'I hope you are proud of yourself Cahlid!!!' Mr Flora said as he stood there hands on hips looking very angry,

'Oh I can assure you...Sir...I am VERY proud!!!' Cahlid laughed out loud without even the slightest hint of regret 'That boy deserved everything he got...and he won't be the last to feel my wrath!!'

'I suggest you get back into your dormitory Cahlid' said Mr Flora

'Oh I don't know…Sir...I may just go for a little wander around this….place' Cahlid replied with a sinister tone in his voice,

'I've had enough of this...awful behaviour Cahlid, you are hereby removed from the Inter-Class Cup effective immediately….' Lady Willo said as Cahlids name disappeared off the class leader board which sat in the King's Chamber, the King looked up and smirked before burying his head back into the papers he had been reading,

'Oh pipe down!!!! Cahlid shouted back 'do you really think I care

about that stupid cup and this awful place...I have better things to do' and with that he raised his hands up above his head and clapped them three times before disappearing into thin air leaving the teachers looking very bemused and at a loss to explain what had happened to Cahlid, they both stepped into the dormitory and closed the door behind them.

As each dormitory bell sounded more and more of the children rose from their beds and got ready for a new day and the first proper day of school, excitement and nervousness filled the air as the children reflected back on the events of yesterday, each scoreboard sat proudly above the door of their individual Acceleration Chamber giving the children something to talk about during the coming term and making their bond stronger.

The class of WallBloom had been awake for a while and were scattered around the room talking amongst themselves, some were sitting at the table eating breakfast, others were sitting in the seating area laughing and joking, Lillie on the other hand was just lying in her bed quiet and still and just staring at the wall on the other side of the room, her eyes seemed vacant and lost, it seemed as if she was struggling with the change she was going through,

'Mum…' she mouthed softly as a single tear fell down her cheek and onto her pillow, just as she wiped it away the door burst open and in stepped a girl, her body casting a shadow in the room as she entered,

'Hello new girl I'm Freya...Freya Delora, are you getting up soon?, everyone wants to say hello' the Girl smiled as she stepped forward into the light sporting a huge smile on her face 'are you ok?' she asked 'it looks like you've been crying',

'No...I...I'm ok, just feeling a little odd' Lillie replied looking puffy faced, she sat up and swung her legs off the bed before allowing a smile to stretch across her face 'I'm Lillie...Carter, this is all new to me and I feel so far away from home that I'm struggling a little', Freya sat herself down on the bed next to Lillie and placed her arm around her gently before reassuring her,

'It's ok Lillie Carter…' smiled Freya 'as yesterday passed by so quickly we didn't really get a chance to chat properly, oh I'm so glad we have been given Star Fall as our dormitory!!' she giggled as her excitement grew,

'Why is that...is this a good place?? Asked Lillie inquisitively,

'Oh this is the dormitory my parents were given when they were pupils at the school, this is where they first met...and this is where they fell in love, mum used to tell me the stories about her time here when she found out I had been accepted to the school' Freya smiled as she thought about all the wonderful things she had been told of about this school and the dormitory her mum and dad had been given, but a tinge of sadness spread across her face when she thought of her dad,

'And I bet your dad was pleased wasn't he!!' Lillie smiled as she felt slightly easier until Freya responded gently and with a sadness that made her eyes tear slightly,

'My father isn't here anymore…'she said 'he was taken from us in the Great War some years back so he never got to know I would be following in their footsteps'. Lillie sat completely still as she could see Freya was upset and didn't really know how to approach her,

'I..I'm so sorry to hear that…' she replied 'I don't really know what else to say...I..I mean I'm sort of in the same boat on that',

'You mean you've lost YOUR father also?' Freya replied

'Oh no, not my father...but I can't really remember my mother for some reason, it's as if she....' Lillie paused for a few seconds racking her brain for any information on her mother,

'Do carry on... ‘She what’ Lillie?' Freya replied anxiously

'As if she doesn't exist!!!' Lillie sat bolt upright staring at the wall in front of her hoping for some kind of explanation 'I need to go and see my brother…' said Lillie as she jumped up off the bed and hurriedly got into her school robes, Freya grabbed her arm gently and squeezed it,

'Please come and have something to eat first Lillie...everyone has been waiting to see you again, away from the classroom' she smiled softly at Lillie as she stood up next to her 'come on...please', Lillie smiled warmly at Freya who was now standing in the doorway holding the door open,

'Oh ok, but I do need to find my brother after that' Lillie replied as she walked through the door arm in arm with her new friend.

Sat around the table were all her new classmates who were all sitting there smiling at her while putting food onto their plates ready for the morning feast. At the end of the table was an empty seat which was being held out for her to sit down,

'Please sit