The school day was already over the freshman. Kyle had been swallowed up by the sea of students and was struggling to find his group. Much to his fright he bumped right into Mr. Tian, who did not seem too bothered by the encounter. He simply put his hand on Kyle's shoulder and nodded, as if showing forgiveness. Kyle then stumbled through the crowd and up the stairs, and at that moment started thinking about what a massive fire hazard it was to have an underground classroom with only one means of escape, that he could see. Eventually he was pushed and shoved into Elvia, who looked just as thrilled to see him as he was to her.

"Have you seen the others?" she called over the clamor.

Kyle shook his head. "No. Hang onto me, let's look!"

At the top of the stairs they bumped into Nixie, who was staring at a girl with fiery red hair and a phoenix perched on her shoulder. She claimed the girl looked like Aoife. She did, but it was unfortunately not her. Nixie joined hands with Elvia, who started gripping hers and Kyle's hands even tighter. They stumbled out of the doors and found Aoife, whose immediate next question was, "Didn't that girl look just like me?" The quad squad, as Elvia called it, then waited by the doors for their next classmate. At some point Nixie pointed out Sean, who had been ahead of them. They rejoined him and demanded to know how someone so tall could blend in with a crowd like that. They returned to the doors and waited some more. Just when Elvia thought of the next perfect name, the pent pals, Asim emerged from the doors, along with the five other shyest kids in their class. The newly rejoined class sat with each other in a small patch of yellow flowers to talk with each other about what they had just experienced.

"...so Mom and Dad tell me to bring him to our teacher, and at that point I was thinking that was the weirdest part-"

Then they all said in unison, "-but it just got weirder."

"I'm surprised I didn't go into shock," Elvia laughed nervously.

"Same," Asim muttered. "This is a lot to handle at once."

Aoife fell back in the grass behind her. "My parents were saying it was about time," she sighed.

"They told you, also?" Elvia asked curiously.

Kyle looked around himself in confusion.

"My mom told me," Sean added. "I guess all of our parents told us?"

Nixie and Kyle both shook their heads. "I don't think my step-dad has any idea this is happening. If I'm not back at the usual time tonight, the cops are probably going to show up at the school."

"Your step-dad's an Unfamiliar?" Asim inquired. "That's a risky game to play."

"Mom and Dad probably were." Her face started looking sad and bitter.

"The six señors and señoritas," Elvia muttered, hoping to redirect the mood. "No, too long, not catchy enough..."

Nixie smirked at that. "Trying to come up with a group name?"

Elvia nodded. "Yeah, it's just something I do."

Kyle looked around as the two talked. Everyone around them spoke amongst themselves, joking and laughing as if this was all normal, debating and arguing as if there was nothing strange going on at all. He assumed most of them had known about this going in. Even those in his own class who had known going in were hesitant. Now, however, it seemed everyone was already acclimated. Then he noticed someone approaching them, someone with grey hair and a horn on his forehead.

It was the young man on the bridge.

"Birchwood?"

The students stopped their chit-chat and looked up. They, too, were a bit taken aback by this first glimpse.

"That's us," Sean said slowly, a bit of disbelief hanging in his voice.

The young man bent his knees a bit to bring himself to the students' level, then extended his hand. "My name's Vincent Clyde, but you can call me Vince, and I will be your guide."

Elvia laughed. "That rhymed!"

Vince smiled awkwardly. "Yeah, that'll happen." He moved around the circle, shaking everyone's hand.

"So where's your Familiar?" Kyle asked slowly.

Vince looked up at him. "I remember you! You were on the Bridge, looked pretty startled by me." Finally Vince got to him and offered his hand. "Don't worry, most people are."

"It's that you're wearing Earth clothes, but you have a horn," Kyle explained.

"I'm a Demicorn," Vince explained with shame clear in his voice. "My parents are Centicorns, Centaurs with Unicorn horns, but something went wrong and instead of half-horse, I'm full-humanoid. It's embarrassing." He stood back up and shook a few loose strands of hair out of his face. "I got the Earth clothes when I was on Earth. I love their style. Only managed to get my wardrobe when and where there would be these specific 'conventions' where the goers 'cosplay'."

"Are you into cosplay?" Elvia asked excitedly.

Vince thought about that for a moment. "I, myself, have never done it, but I did meet some interesting people." Then he thought for a moment. He pointed to Kyle and recalled, "You asked me something and I got side-tracked."

Kyle, too, thought for a moment, before asking once again, "Where's your Familiar?"

Vince snapped his fingers. "That's it!" Then he rubbed his hands together. "Uh, I don't have a Familiar, but it wouldn't be fair to call me Unfamiliar. See, most of the staff here knows about the Academy because they live in the area, or it was a major where they went to school, but uh, they don't have Familiars themselves."

"So you're staff here?" Sean almost demanded.

Vince screwed up his face and cocked his head from side to side. "Technically no, but I spend so much time here I pretty much am. Sometimes I get paid for what they ask me to do and sometimes I don't. It depends."

"Then how do you know about this place?"

"My uncles work here." He stood up and looked around, as though he was searching for someone. As he scanned, he continued, "Uncle Clopin is a Centaur. He's a groundskeeper. His adopted brother is Cloppes, Mr. Cloppes as everyone calls him. He's a Cyclops who believes he's a Centaur, we don't have the heart to tell him he's adopted."

A few of the students in the circle snickered at that.

"No, I don't see either of them. Oh well. Shall we get moving then?"

The students stood up slowly, allowing the blood to flow throughout their bodies. They stretched before declaring they were ready to move.

"Awesome. Now, it is a bit of a walk and they are hard to find when you're new, so stick with me." Vince then turned and began walking back towards the enormous archway where the students had entered not too long before. He was walking quickly with almost no effort.

"Slow down!" Elvia called almost immediately. "I have tiny legs!"

Vince turned and saw her. "Right, right. I'm still fast. Sorry, I'll try and go slower!"

And so a period of walking ensued, filled to the brim with, "Slow down!" followed by an apology from Vince. They continued down the path from earlier, but at one point Vince suddenly turned off into the woods.

"If you look closely," he pointed out, "this tree's bark forms a double A. This is where you turn. It's a lot easier when you have the right light."

"Well what is the right light?" Nixie demanded as she followed him into the trees.

"Mr. Tian gives the groups lanterns that help lead the to their dorms. Students usually go to the dorms in groups at the end of the day, so you better keep up!" A sudden energy seemed to overtake him and he started running.

"Slow down!" Elvia called once again, breaking into a bouncy run as she struggled to keep up.

"I can't hear you!" Vince laughed.

"You wanna play, Ponyboy?" Sean called after him. "Let's play!" He, too, darted through the trees after Vince.

"Sean? Sean!" Nixie called. "Sean, you big butt!" She, too, began running through the trees after the two boys.

"Nixie!" Elvia called, running as quickly as her short legs could carry her. "Wait for me!"

Aoife started to pick up speed, and Asim began running after her. "Good thing I like running!" he called.

Kyle went to pick up speed as well, but rather than run through the woods as he had done in the weeks before, he only trotted as to keep to Elvia's pace, since he felt it wrong to abandon her. "I bet Skitter-Scamp likes it here."

She looked up at him, a bit short of breath, and replied, "Probably. I'm glad we don't have to worry about them wandering off."

Kyle looked at his shoulder. Fledermaus was still there. "Yeah. They might as they get bigger."

"I hope not." She slowed and opened her bag. The jackalope was inside, staring up at them sleepily. "I love him."

Fledermaus crawled to Kyle's other shoulder and stared into the bag. Skitter-Scamp looked up. The two's gaze met, and they both looked excited.

"These two are gonna be friends," Kyle laughed.

Elvia smiled broadly. "I hope so! That'd be so cute!"

"Vince? Vincent!"

The two looked ahead. Asim and Aoife had come to a rest along with the others. They stood, looking around.

"Lost sight of 'im!" Sean growled.

Suddenly Vince's head and shoulders appeared before them, but nothing else. "You mean you didn't see that?"

The forest was filled with a collective gasp, with a scream or two sprinkled in.

He groaned. "That would have been so cool to watch. Anyway, come on." Then he disappeared once again.

There was a moment of hesitation. Then Sean stepped forward and stuck his left arm out slowly, as if he was worried the forest would eat his appendage. Finally his fingertips vanished. He retracted his hand quickly and looked. His fingers were back. "Don't worry," he called sarcastically, "it's just an invisible force field or something!" Then he put his arm back and watched as his fingers, hand, and finally elbow disappeared. Suddenly he gasped and vanished entirely.

"It ate Sean!" Elvia cried nervously.

"I'm fine!" Sean's head re-emerged, but it looked as though he was struggling. "Ponyboy's just playing around." Then he was pulled back.

Aoife jogged forward and stopped before the field. Like Sean, she stuck her non-dominant hand forward and watched it disappeared. Then she carefully stuck her head through. She shrieked and retracted, but then started laughing. "Sean! I'm gonna beat you up for that!" Then she dove through without any further hesitation.

Asim came forward and leapt through all at once, calling, "Aoife, are you-" There was silence after he disappeared.

"Sound-proof, huh?" Kyle muttered. "Cool." He looked to Elvia and Nixie. Nixie seemed ready to jump, but Elvia was a little bit nervous. "Want me to go through with you?"

Elvia nodded. "Yeah." She watched as Nixie jumped through. "Wish I could be bold like her."

Kyle offered his hand. "Come on, don't want them waiting up for us."

Elvia took his hand and gripped it tightly. "Okay. I'm ready."

The two approached the field together. She gripped his hand tighter and tighter. He heard her breathing become more rapid, as though she was about to cry.

"Three, two, one!"

The two then jumped through the field, eyes shut tightly. When they hit the ground, they waited another moment before opening their eyes. In front of them was a structure that resembled a small castle choked in ivy and other plantlife. In the center was a tall spire with the letters "BW" encompassed within a circle.

"This is your dorm," Vince began. "The dorm keys are inside the main room. The one behind the desk will give you a key. If you want to room with someone, be sure you're with them. If you two are romantically involved, I suggest not rooming together."

"Why not?" Asim asked shyly.

"Just don't." Then he started for the tower. "Let's go."

Once again the group resumed walking.

"This place has been around forever. You're getting the rooms from the students who graduated last year."

"Question," Sean began, "graduate?"

Vince nodded. "You receive a diploma. After that you can go to another school back on Earth, or even another world, and transfer to a school there. Once there, though, you have to pay."

"So these credits are transferrable?"

"Yep. They mostly count as Gen-Ed. If you're aiming for a degree in Liberal Arts you're practically done when you graduate." He pushed open the tower door and called, "The new students are here!"

The Birchwood students filed into the tower. At the other side was a desk, and behind it was numbered cubbies. An enormous figure rose up from behind the desk. He was scaly, had terrifying claws instead of fingers, and a face more reptile than man.

"Mr. Efeta? What are you doing here?"

"Mrs. Wormwart is out sick," the lizard-man began. His voice was cold and dry. "Connolly had me fill in for her. And what are you doing here?"

Vince shrugged. "Got in trouble for interrupting a class."

Mr. Efeta shook his head. "Tsk tsk." Then he looked at the students. "Who's rooming with whom?"

Elvia raised her hand. "Does anyone wanna room with me? I don't wanna be alone!"

Both Aoife and Nixie looked to her. "Why not?"

Mr. Efeta took a key from behind him and tossed it to them. "This room has a triple bunk bed. Lucky you."

Asim came up to Aoife and whispered, "I thought we could room together?"

Aoife was taken aback and shook her head. "I didn't realize you had that plan, sorry..."

Mr. Efeta growled. "Back up, Romeo, you're making her uncomfortable." He looked Sean up and down. "Why don't you room with the tall one?"

Asim shook his head. "I think I'll stay by myself then."

Sean quietly whispered, "Oh thank God."

He growled again. "So are the boys alone?"

The boys looked around. "I guess so," Sean spoke for them.

Mr. Efeta turned and looked in the cubbies. "Good, we can afford that." He started throwing keys to the boys. "If anyone changes their mind and decides to room with someone, return your key. If you decide you want to be on your own, come get a key. Act quickly though, I can't guarantee there will always be a key and I refuse to bust my shell hunting you down."

Vince turned to the group. "Okay, hang onto those, your parents will -"

Kyle picked his key up off the floor and immediately perked up when he heard this. "Our parents?" he echoed a bit more enthusiastically than he would have liked.

Vince rolled his eyes. "-parents or guardians, if that pleases you. Anyway, they'll be bringing some of your things to help you move in."

Everyone looked around excitedly, with the exception of Nixie, who stared blankly with her jaw slightly ajar. "But, my stepdad is an Unfamiliar..."

The rejoice halted. Both Vince and Mr. Efeta had blank expressions on their face. They exchanged glances and stood still as statues for a few moments, then echoed, "Unfamiliar."

She nodded solemnly. "Yeah."

They both took a deep breath. "Okay well this complicates things," Vince started, jamming his words into mere seconds. "The cops are going to get involved again, and we're going to have to send someone to get her stuff, or we could-"

"-send her home?" Mr. Efeta finished. "The school day isn't over just yet. We could bring her back for a few days and make believe she's been accepted into a college. That works sometimes."

"I could get kicked out?" Nixie offered. "I'm walking on eggshells as is. I could give him an attitude and he won't want to see me again."

Vince and Mr. Efeta exchanged glances again. "Has he ever hit you?" Vince asked with a bit of hesitation, knowing this to be a delicate subject.

Nixie hesitated, then answered, "Well he's smacked me on the wrist but he's never hit me before."

"You should be fine, then." Then Mr. Efeta giggled. "Or we could have Vince pretend to be your boyfriend, tell your stepfather you're moving in with him."

Vince looked at him with disgust. "No, never again!"

"C'mon, she seems nice!"

Nixie, too, looked hesitant to try this out. "I think I'll try to get kicked out."

Nixie returned with her bags, alongside the parents and siblings who were able to come to see their children and siblings off to the next exciting step of their lives. She led the way along with the great Crystal and Jack Akfernen to her right, and Ciara and Nisus Demetriou to her left. Well ahead of them was a group of parents and siblings going to another crop of Freshman from a different school, and well behind them was yet another group of parents and siblings. Most of the group members looked like normal people, but there were a few odd ones out: creatures with tentacles, Clopes with varying numbers of eyes, and even Minotaurs and Satyrs. They all marched on, some emotional, some poker-faced, towards the school most of them had attended years before.

Nixie spotted her group and took off. When the parents saw their children, and the siblings saw their brothers and sisters, they broke out into brisk walks as well. The rest of the group had been instructed to stand where they were, which was difficult; many wanted the embrace of their parents to help calm them from the day's events. Still, they stayed rooted. The first one up to their family member was an enormous girl with curly brown hair, and she immediately wrapped her arms around her younger brother and cried, "Little Sean's growing up!"

Sean laughed. "Get offa me, Katie."

More people continued to flock to Sean: two women and four more children. Within moments he was engulfed in a ball of his family. Two boys younger than Asim approached him with bags, and told him, "Mom and Dad are really sorry they couldn't come. Both are busy at the hospital." He replied with a sigh, "Like always?" Aoife's mother, father, and two siblings surrounded her with hugs, but seemed much more interested in preparing her for the academic journey ahead, as well as asking about her older brother who had already started his next year at the academy. Elvia's mother and father came to her next, though were not terribly enthusiastic about hugs. Kyle's mother and Uncle Jack were on him as soon as they could clear the Byrne Family Ball, and tightly gripped him.

"My baby's growing up," Crystal sobbed as she gripped her son tighter.

"You're gonna be a man soon," Uncle Jack added in his usual exhausted monotone.

Kyle blinked a few times and looked beyond them, searching for his father. "Where's Dad?"

"Sprained his ankle," Uncle Jack groaned. "Poor fella wanted to be here more than anything."

Kyle hugged them tighter. "Will you tell him I said good-bye?"

Crystal nodded and wiped her tears. "Of course."

Kyle forced a smile. "Don't cry, Mom, it's just like going to college."

She, too, forced a smile. "I'd cry then, too."

He hugged them both as tightly as he could. "I'm counting down until the next break."

She forced herself to chuckle. "Me too, Baby."

Vince then stepped out of the trees and cleared his throat. "I apologize for being the wet blanket, but it's about time we bring our belongings to our rooms."

The families looked up from their huddled groups and, begrudgingly, separated, and started following their guide through the trees. As they walked, they asked their new students if they knew who the Unicorn boy was. The students explained, which only got more questions: Clyde? As in Cloppin Clyde? You mean he's still kicking? How old is he? Demicorn? What's that mean?