Spirit: The Familiar

Carina wandered on her path to the dorm building on her own, though the cat with the magical eyes wove in and out of her line of sight all the way. It was definitely a sign that she was on the right path. A smile formed on her lips, and she sighed. The feeling of peace wound its way through her.

She paused in front of the large building. There were classes probably in session, so there wasn't anyone wandering out and about. Carina felt some comfort in that; she really was in no mood to speak with anyone else in that moment. She entered the building and then climbed up the steps, staring down at the slip of paper in her hand.

"This room has been waiting for you," the Grand Elder had told her. "For your return. Your roommate has been eager to meet you this entire time. Though they have only been here a few months. They are the age you were, when you first started attending classes here. I hope you will be a kind mentor to them. Show them what ways of our path that you can remember as you continue your learning here."

Carina had nodded at him then, accepting the task given to her. She would help to teach the new witch, just as the Grand Elder had helped to teach her when she was that age. Carina looked at the dorm number one last time before continuing her ascent up the stairs.

The cat waited for her outside the door. They both made eye contact for at least a whole minute. Carina took a step toward the cat, and then the cat ran off. She sighed and scratched the back of her head. One of those days, she would learn how to capture that creature. For now she would have to settle with the classes that were offered at the academy.

Carina looked down at the book she held in her other arm. She stuffed the sheet of paper that had her dorm number in her pocket, and then fished the key to the room out.

This would be new to her. She wondered what the room would look like; she had always stayed at the Grand Elder's house before. Carina had never even visited the dorms before, to visit with friends. They had always spent time together in the beautiful gardens, or in the libraries scattered across the Capitol. It was a beautiful place to explore, and held a great atmosphere to encourage learning.

Carina pushed the key into the lock, and turned. Some mechanism within clicked, and the door pushed open an inch. Carina peered through the crack in the doorway that gave her a small sliver of a view into the room. Of course that didn't help much; the light streaming in through the window in the room was far too bright. She pushed the door open completely and stared.

The room was a decent size. There were two beds, one to the far wall on her right and one right by the window that was letting light in. Carina made a mental note to find some curtains, for days when she wanted to sit in darkness. A dresser sat in front of each bed. There was a desk to the left, with several different books and papers piled on top of it as well as a few tall, white candles. A sturdy wooden chair sat in front of the desk, and there was a tall bookshelf next to it. Next to the bookshelf there was a door that led to what Carina assumed might be the bathroom.

There was a round table in the center of the room, with an altar set up messily on top. Carina brought her hand to her mouth to suppress a giggle. She had her work cut out for her, she thought as she arranged the candles in their proper positions- to represent north, east, south, and west.

There were some crushed up herbs in the altar bowl, she noticed. She inhaled carefully, but couldn't tell what was in the bowl.

Carina shrugged and then sat at the desk, placing her book down on top of it. She lifted the cover open, and then peered down at the page there. It was a list of her classes. The first one was Introduction to Familiars. She smiled at that, and noted that the class was held three times a week. That would prove rather satisfying to her. She hoped that she could quickly learn what she needed to do to get the familiar to stay with her. Wasn't there some sort of special, magic collar you could put around their neck?

Carina shook her head out of her daydream. She would learn everything she needed to with the class. She could wait.

The next class was one she knew she would definitely enjoy: herbology. Maybe she would be able to figure out what herb was crushed up in the altar bowl, with that class. She grinned wider and stretched back in the chair.

"Who are you?" a small voice from behind her asked then.