Dear diary…

No, that sounds dreadful. If you're to be my closest confidant throughout the months to come, I simply cannot address you so formally. What shall I call you? Latisha? Andrea? Juliette? I can't decide. I shall think upon the matter and get back to you. For now, I shall simply call you friend.

Good morning, my friend!

There. Much more natural. Don't you agree?

Good morning! I am simply thrilled to be packing for my trip. I'll be spending the next three months as a transfer student to ... you'll never guess ... A MAGIC SCHOOL! Yes, that's right! Yours truly is going to be learning MAGIC! And making friends! At least, I hope I'll make friends. If I don't, I'll still have you.

You really do need a name.

Oh! Mother's calling me, and I haven't finished choosing my wardrobe. Wish me luck!

Finished packing at last, though I mustn't forget to slip you in at the last moment. I'm bursting with so much excitement, I don't know if I can stand another minute of it!

In another few hours, I'll go to the carpet station and load up my luggage. I've seen flying carpets before, but since you've probably never left the bindery before now I'll tell you a bit about them.

Do indulge me, please, I have nothing else to do with myself and will die of excitement if I don't have something to distract me!

Let’s see, where to begin?

I didn’t used to understand what the carpets were, since I only saw them as shadows going by overhead. I remember asking Father why they never flew in flocks like normal birds. He explained that they’re not birds at all, that they fly on a schedule to deliver people’s goods from place to place. He says that’s how we’re able to get icepeaches all year, though they don’t grow here at all even in the dead of winter.

I wanted to fly on one myself, but Father said that they fly too high and too fast, I wouldn’t be able to get air. I still think that’s a silly explanation. Air is everywhere. Why would being higher or moving faster change that? Birds are fine, and so would I, so long as I’m careful not to fall off.

But there are laws, so I can’t even go near one until I’m 19. Stupid laws. I’ll be taking a train instead of flying.

Oh, I’m so impatient! Why can’t the evening come sooner? Do you think there’ll be other students there? Will we be arriving together? Or will I be the only new girl? I hope not! I’d hate to be the only outsider.

I wonder if it’s almost dinnertime. I’m starting to feel hungry. Maybe dinner will help make time pass faster. I think I’ll go ask Marie how the food is coming. Maybe she’ll let me sample it. Yes, that’s a very good plan.

Don’t worry, I promise I’ll write in the morning and tell you all about the trip!

Dear friend…

Oh, it’s so good to have you back! Have you missed me? I hope you weren’t worried after I left you behind. I do apologize most sincerely. I thought to slip you into my art bag before we left, but Father loaded everything into the carriage so early. And you know how excited I was to be underway. I didn’t even think that I’d left you on my bedside table!

But all is well now. We are reunited, and I have a great deal to tell.

Let me think back.

Oh, the train, it feels so long ago now!

Well, first we arrived at the carpet station to unload my belongings, and there’s a special departure station for those going to the Academy. They have brochures and plaques up and everything, and a glass room where we can actually watch the carpets being loaded and launched!

The Academy carpet is huge, probably even bigger than the ballroom. It’s bright red and patterned into sections. They tied up all my things together into one section, with a big net overtop to keep them still.

There were eight other bundles, so I knew I mustn’t be the only person coming from this area. I still don’t know who they are, though. Probably nobility. I swear I saw gold on some of the suitcases. Can you imagine?

Then they towed it out into a wide open area and it started to float just a little while they were pulling it, and then it went a little higher, then, oh, it was so sudden! One moment it drifted a bit like when you hold paper over a steaming pot, then it snapped loose of its tresses and swooped away up into the sky!

I’m going to fly one some day, I don’t care what anyone says.

Then we went to the train station, and it was so boring after seeing something like that, so I found my seat and tried very hard to fall asleep. But I couldn’t, so I watched out the window instead in hopes of catching sight of the Academy. We went past a lot of fields and some woods and then through some hills. I was so disappointed when we finally came in sight of the Academy, it was hidden in a valley and straight ahead of us, so I couldn’t see it until the very last minute.

I stood and leaned as close to the window as I could, to catch the first glimpse of it, and then we came over the edge of the valley and …

Oh, I can’t do it justice. Even now it takes my breath away remembering.

The valley is absolutely smooth, like someone made a gigantic bowl between hills and carpeted it with the brightest, greenest grass you can imagine. The very bottom is a lake, perfectly round, with water so clear and smooth it looks like a mirror. And the Academy sits in the center of the lake, like every fairy tale castle and tower combined, with drawbridges and boats and everything.

But that’s what it looks like now. When we arrived, it was evening. Oh, it’s so… magical. That’s really the only word for it. The sun had set behind the hills, but the sky still had glimmers of orange and purple reflected in the lake.

The clouds were puffy and twisty, like they get sometimes after carpets go through them a lot, but it made it look almost like they were painted. I swear I saw flowers and vines and open books and everything!

But best of all is the academy itself. The towers were covered with magical lights, like a thousand purple and gold fireflies strung around and draped over everything.

Oh dear, that’s the breakfast bell. I have to go.

Hello, dear friend, I'm back!

I was telling you about the academy. Our dormitories are set around the edges of the lake, so we can walk in across the bridges in the morning. Or, like I prefer, there are little boats moored up along the shore. Every one is different. They’re magical, so they don’t need to be shaped like normal boats.

Some are shaped like boots, or a basket, or a spool of thread. I saw one girl in a giant cauldron and I swear I nearly fell overboard laughing. She looked like she was about to be cooked by a witch!

Others are shaped like animals or magic people. My favourite is the mermaid. The front is mostly like a normal boat, but her head at the prow looks back at me, and the back is like a fish’s tail. It makes me feel like she’s just drifting on her back in the water, smiling down at me as she gives me a ride.

Kyle’s favourite is what he calls the pegasus, but I think it looks like a winged donkey. Pretty sure they’re called larasin, not pegasus, but he won’t listen to me.

Oh! I haven’t told you about Kyle yet, have I? I actually saw him on the train, but we didn’t talk then. He was reading the whole way and I can’t read while moving or I’ll be sick, so we had very little in common. But when we arrived at the Academy valley, he knew everything! He mentioned the trees and I asked if he knew about the lake, and… well, we ended up talking the whole way, and I think he’s definitely my friend now, maybe a best friend, maybe someday… aww, well, we’ll see!