SOTL Draft Two/MAGIC - Ch1

Overview: https://kaylinrosealexande.wixsite.com/kaylinalexanderbooks/post/the-formation-of-school-of-the-legends

Read-aloud, pt. 1: https://www.tiktok.com/@kaylinrosealexander/video/7195203005992521002?lang=en

Previous: https://kaylinrosealexande.wixsite.com/kaylinalexanderbooks/post/sotl-draft-two-magic-prologue

I'm going to start out by saying that there is a lot of problematic things in this draft. I was a different person in middle school, and had a very much "I'm not like other girls" attitude. MAGIC has a lot of "commentary" about beauty standards and makeup, and overall has a very anti-makeup tone. I also call a girl with light brown skin "tan" which isn't technically correct. Further on, I also over-describe accents. This chapter is pretty light, but I thought I should point that out.

Chapter 1

Anahi smoothed down her golden dress.

The dress belonged to her mother. The dress she wore that night she and Anahi’s father danced for the first time. The night he knew he was in love with her.

Could Anahi ever love like that?

Anahi looked out the window of the carriage. She sighed as she watched the scenery go by, hoping to see something exciting or magical. But there was nothing to see but trees. And more trees... And more trees....

Still looking at the window, she noticed her reflection staring back at her. She had her mother's hazel eyes, and her dad's brown hair, and lightly tanned skin--a good mix of both of them. She sighed. She knew she was a pretty girl--everyone always told her that--but it was hard to see with the layers of makeup on her eyes, cheeks, and lips.

As soon as she was alone, she would take off the dumb stuff and see her own face.

She looked away from the window and grabbed her suitcase. She opened it and read the invitation for what must’ve been the millionth time.

"Princess Anahi Rosario,

You have been invited to attend the Magical Academy For Girls: Intermediate Classes, or "M.A.G.I.C."

You must arrive on campus at 7am sharp. You must bring your own clothes for the year, but everything else will be provided for you.

Sincerely,,

Holly Stone

Headmistress of M.A.G.I.C."

Anahi folded up the letter and placed it back in the suitcase. As she shut it, she took a deep breath, trying to take in the situation. She was completing her dream: go to M.A.G.I.C. That's all. Get away from her parents, the servants, the tutors....

It was going to be the first time she could be free in fifteen years.

Would she finally have friends? Classes she enjoyed? Actual teachers, and no tutors?

It was almost unimaginable.

Anahi looked out the window once again. The forest was starting to thin, and the sun was just about to rise. They must be getting close. Every second that went by was a second closer to having her dream come true.

Anahi yawned to herself. Her kingdom, Puerterica, was all the way across the ocean from where M.A.G.I.C. was (Englanda). She had to wake up to catch the kingdom’s ferry, and no sooner than she arrived on land, she was shoved into a carriage and rushed to the school.

Anahi quickly dug into another suitcase where she had stashed her books. The ones that a princess was not supposed to read, but Anahi still wanted to. The ones on the very top shelf of her mother’s library. She picked up one, and was sucked into the pages immediately, all the stress and exhaustion seemed to fade away.

Suddenly, the carriage stopped, and the door opened. Anahi quickly shoved the book back in the suitcase, and prayed that no one had seen her. A woman in a beautiful blue dress and silver braids was standing in front of the door, holding a clipboard. Anahi immediately recognized a fairy godmother. Despite the hair, she didn't look old. In fact, she looked eighteen.

"Hello, Your Highness," the fairy godmother said in an accent that sounded proper and was most likely Englandan. "My name is Audrey. I will be your fairy godmother this year."

"Hello, Audrey," Anahi said as Audrey helped her out of the carriage. "Aren't you a little young to be a fairy godmother?"

Audrey laughed. "No, of course not. I'm just..." she trailed off. "I am just one of the youngest. You're actually my first goddaughter."

Anahi thought it was a little weird to be the goddaughter of someone only three years older than her, but shrugged it off. Instead, she thought about Audrey's strange response. She looked at her suspiciously. But Audrey just smiled and snapped her fingers. Instantly, Anahi’s suitcases disappeared.

"What did you do?" Anahi panicked. Of course she had to get the rookie fairy. Typical.

"Relax, Your Highness," said Audrey. "I just teleported your belongings to your chambers. Your luggage will be all unpacked when you arrive."

Anahi nodded, but one thing crept into her mind. "Do I have my own chambers?"

Audrey shook her head. "You will share with," she looked at the clipboard, "Marlis Haggard, and Ryan McGuire."

Anahi nodded, not knowing who they were. She was actually glad that two other people were staying with her. For fifteen years, she had no friends. Were they going to be her first friends?

"Follow me, Your Highness," Audrey said, as she led Anahi into the school.

Anahi looked up at the school for the first time. "Woah," she whispered.

M.A.G.I.C. was bigger than her own castle. It was magnificent. Stone walls towered so high, it hurt to look at.

Anahi looked down at Audrey and smiled. This was where her life began.

I think the gold dress reference was a little on-the-nose in terms of a Disney reference, but believe me it was worse in the original version. Anahi's name was Ava, and I specifically said she had her mother's hazel eyes and her father's amber hair, and even in the prologue the prince's name was Adam originally. I'm glad I toned it down.

Also how forced is M.A.G.I.C. as an acronym?

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