Peculiaris - The Jewel of Delphine - Part2

 

Chapter 9:

Ammerylis threw herself upon her bed. Her room was nothing like Irises, it was far from regal, 

and this is what confused her most. She was given the option of becoming a princess, yet, nothing in her room was royal, rather Iris had everything royal.

She supposed she always loved the way Iris’s room looked way more than hers, but her parents always thought a fresh and modern look would be far more suitable for her than a lavish and rich look.

Perhaps it was just what she thought that counted, she wasn’t quite sure what to think. Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when her mom came in.

She smiled and sat next to her. “Are you feeling afraid of living away from us for a whole year?” she asked seriously.

“No way!” Ammerylis snorted, “Ari and literally all my friends are going to be there, besides, I’ll write a letter or something,” she smiled, “besides, we’ll still meet during vacation and stuff.” She hated it when her parents acted sappy and dramatic, she always liked to think they were the comical type.

Her mom got the message and laughed, “Anyway, you’ll still be making us spend our money on ‘back to school items’, so I guess it really makes no difference!” she got up and left the room, reaching out to turn off the light. Ammerylis shook her head, and her mom stopped and closed the door.

She bit her lip and stared at her room, which was seafoam green themed, with beach themed decor hung all over the walls. A scented candle was placed, she never checked out what scent it was, but it was fresh, her whole room felt fresh. No wonder Iris loved it, she was after all a mermaid, and the beach goes very well with mermaids.

She finally got off the bed to grab a book, but immediately came to a halt, she didn’t want to read, she didn't want to sleep either. She was unsure of what to do, not only in this situation but others as well. Going to Peculiaris or whatever was going to be hard, it was too different. Too hard to believe, why were her parents even okay with this, it could most likely be a scam. ”No, it can’t be,” she thought, “I saw it myself, that had to have been magic, and Ari’s mom must have seen it too, she must have told my mom.” she walked back to her bed and turned off the lights. She slept soundly.

The morning lights poured through the windows. Ammerylis groaned and got up, she apparently didn’t shut the blinds. She pushed herself up and went to shut them so she could go back to sleep, she did not want to get up so early, it was still seven o’clock. As she pulled them together, she noticed they were resisting her. She pulled again, and the blinds pushed away from each other. Something was wrong. As she tried to take another go at it, she realized the box  was emitting something , something that was causing the blinds to unravel. She stared at it and pursed her lips, it was spitting out glitter, just like when she first saw it. Maybe this was the way it was trying to communicate with her?

She picked it up and opened it, there was another gold bar, she started seeing  a bit of repetition. She pulled the gold bar out and read the letter encrypted in it. 

Dear Ammerylis,

 It is finally time to transport into the Peculiari meeting area, be sure to bring your guardian as we will be explaining much that is needed to be known. This meeting is intended for humans only, so you will understand much more about our academy.  This is also when you will be buying your pets for when school begins, which is optional, but for which we request for you to bring a form of payment. To transport into our academy, drop this block into water, you will see a portal open up, and all you will need to do is simply enter the portal. You will be expected to come in by noon.

 Ammerylis pushed her hair back and called to her parents. She impatiently played with her fingers when finally her bedroom door opened. She quickly explained what had happened to her parents. Her mom seemed unsure of it, and so did her dad.

 “Since you are being told this, Ari should be too, right?” she asked questioningly, “I think I’ll call her mom and ask.” she walked away in search of her phone.

 Her dad left as well after telling her she could only go if Ari  was going, and her friends. She squeezed the gold bar with both her hands and felt her palms getting sweaty. This was going to be an odd day alright.

 Ammerylis got up and grabbed a book. She quickly thrust herself upon her bed and began reading immediately. Honestly, her mind couldn’t at the very least comprehend what she was reading, let alone that, she had no idea what book she was reading. Her eyes darted from page to page, much like how she would have normally, though she felt tired and was in no mood for much physical movement. Finally she gave up and rushed down the stairs. She could see her reflection appearing in the mirrors that covered the railing, and was for a moment, surprised at how tense she looked. She could not believe so much about her had changed in one day, she had to calm down. Her steps finally began to slow down, and her expression began to form into one more serene. She peered down into the living room and could hear her mom confirming whether any of her friends would attend and eventually agreeing with their decisions. In other words, it was a yes. 

 “So, can I go?” she asked, filled to the brim with hope.

 “Yeah, you can. Still, are you sure you’re sure you want to go?” her dad said, unconvinced that she could manage without the two of them being there for her.

 “ Yep.” she ended her sentence quickly.

She took some time to get ready, but finally finished. She didn’t want to wear anything grand, and just wore a normal shirt and skirt. Her hair was left loose, and though she was irritated by it, she was far too excited to do much more. She took the gold block and went to the bathtub in her bathroom. Her parents came up and looked at her questioningly.

 “Your plan is to drop a gold bar in a bathtub and jump in.” her mom wasn’t so convinced.

 Her dad didn’t say anything, and rather had a blank stare, the type he usually had when he didn’t approve of something, but was curious to see what would happen.

 Ammerylis hastily dropped the block inside the water, expecting to be drenched or even drowned, but the gold bar simply dissolved in the water. Then, the thick gold mixture  began to whirl around quickly, shimmering under the bright lights. Finally, it stopped, and a large circle was left, that looked just like a diamond, and Ammerylis felt as if she would deeply injure herself if she went in. She felt a cold shiver pass through her body, it just looked so amazingly solid, yet, liquid.  Ammerylis quickly came out of her delusions, she couldn’t fathom why she was acting so anxious. With no hesitation or though, she quickly dropped into the hot tub. Suddenly, she could feel an odd type of force practically tugging at her. It sucked her in and she felt a disturbing amount of bright light blind her. She felt like she was swimming in a thick syrup, she could breath, but sensed that she had to try extremely hard to do so. At last, her eyes steadily began to adjust to the light. At first, she thought she was the one moving, now she could see that whatever she was in was moving her. Ammerylis tried to turn her head to see if her parents were there, but could notice a restriction in movement, as she was moving quite slowly. She eventually gave up, and could gradually see a large diamond like object on the other side. As she passed through it an extreme amount of light came again, and suddenly she found herself sprawled on the ground, panting, and with a strong headache.

Chapter 10:

 Ammerylis  brushed her hair back behind her ears and slowly got up. She saw her parents in front of her and ran to them.

 “Mom,” she said, “what are you doing?” she asked overlooking her shoulder, when she felt a feeling of sudden bewilderment arise. In front of her stood a massive hallway, with crystal flooring reflecting light onto the walls, which  were covered with crystals, glistening beautifully amidst all the light being shone upon them. Roses, tulips and daisies of all colors sat neatly in flower pots, an unmistakably sweet and strong scent coming from them. There were portraits that were staggeringly large. She walked towards the first one and took a few steps back. It was a lady, who was outfitted in a simple sky blue half sleeved dress with white polka dots, much like the circle dress of the 1950s, , with white stockings and white and silver wrist length gloves . Ammerylis stared down at the shoes, and came to the conclusion that she was wearing a pair of blue and white dress shoes, which she recognized were worn during the Victorian era, this much she had learnt from class. She finally stared up at the head of the painting, the lady had wavy, black, open hair which fell down her shoulders, with tints of blue at the ends. Though, this color didn’t seem to be dyed, but in a way, natural. Her expression was calm and thoughtful, it was intelligent. Though, altogether, she didn’t seem to fit into any time in history, it was like she was from many as a matter of fact.

 As she searched for the name of the lady, hoping for it to be found somewhere in the painting, her parents came out of their momentary  shock. 

 “Come on, let's go before we get late!” her mom said quickly, grabbing Ammerylis’s hand and walking quickly through the hallway.

 “It’s beautiful isn’t it?” she said, still mesmerized.

 “Well, yes.” her dad replied, “but it's almost noon and we were told to come strictly by that time.”

 Ammerylis nodded and walked a bit faster than before. She still looked at the portraits though, but only really observed the bigger ones. She saw a lady in a green dress with short brown hair and a man wearing a white suit  with black hair. Finally, as they reached the end she saw a portrait that was enormous, compared to the already strikingly big ones. This time it was another lady, but she wore a dress that  seemed to be made from shards of jewels, with a short cape which reached her hip, with fur lining the border and a hood falling back. Her hair was glowing with such power, she could not see the color of it really, but her expression could not be described, it was just, pleasant.

 Finally they reached the end of the hallway and exited through the curved archway, and through it came an even more fascinating complex of building. It was not indoors, but everything sparkled with such magnificence. It was a perfect blend of natural and grand. The tree trunks were normal, but the cherry blossoms that bloomed from them were made of ruby. The buildings were made of tons of glass, but there were bushes cut into different creatures in front of them, and the fresh green grass grew along the pathway to the entrances. In the middle of the complex stood a fountain, though the liquid it spewed out was holographic, and the rainbows it reflected could be seen all around it.

 She searched for all her friends, when suddenly an ear-splitting sound was heard, like a bell. She looked up to see the tallest building of the lot had a clock, which was quivering, it was noon. A person spoke over the bustling crowd, silencing everyone at once.

“Could I have your attention please,” it was a man, who had a very croaky voice, “for I am so very tired today and am not willing to put up with any of this stupid nonsense.” he ended in a haughty manner.

Suddenly there were a few sounds of movement and a few barely audible noises which sounded like an argument and another person began to talk. This time it was a more appealing voice.

“Thank you all so much for coming. I would simply like to request all the parents to enter the clock tower to talk more about this year in Peculiari.” said a woman.

Ammerylis could see that her mom and dad felt uneasy about leaving her alone, and so did many of the other parents. She frowned, the parents weren’t the only ones alright. The lady on the speaker realized this and quickly said the kids could come if they wanted to as well and swiftly left. Many signs of agreement were heard and Ammerylis walked along with her parents. A large crowd went to the clock tower and were asked to form a line and told that they would enter as groups. She groaned as they were far from the start, and though they weren’t at the end, it was still pretty long. As she looked around feeling bored she spotted Ari’s family close to the end of the line. She waved and signaled for Ari to come to her. Ari saw but shook her head and mouthed the words I can’t. Her dad saw this and said that it would be wrong to cut in the line. She sighed and went back to admiring the area. As she turned around the fountain caught her eyes. She felt that it reminded her of the lady in the portrait, it was the same glow, the same energy. She started to think more about her, she didn’t seem very normal, nothing like a human. Of course this was all nothing close normal, but there was something so much more powerful about her. As a matter of fact, all the people in the  biggest portraits seemed very powerful and special. Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when the second group of people were admitted inside, the line advanced quite a bit, and she soon realized that her family was in front. This was certainly going faster than planned. 

She pulled her hair back and shifted it to one side of her shoulders and resumed staring at the fountain, it was just so captivating. Finally, the second group exited, and she and her family  were ushered in by the security by the door.  As Ammerylis stepped in she stared at the large room, it was just like the hallway she saw before, except bigger, and minus the portraits. This time there were large colored window panes, they didn’t exactly resemble anything she knew, but she felt that they represented something. The room was quiet, as no one quite knew what to say. At last, a woman entered the clear, crystal, stage in the front of the room. She seemed to be around fifty years old, and had her reddish brown hair in a short pixie cut, and wore a white silk dress with a red rose pattern. She wore normal white shoes, and a sweet and kind smile.

“I welcome you all to our school, one for the people with magic. I understand that many of you are confused on whatever this is, and as for you, your kids are princesses or princes. While this may be a huge part of childhood tales, and sound very childish to you all,” she paused and looked around the room, “there is not much that is childish about this.”

 “Right now, you are in a sort of different realm.  Princesses and princes needed to rule over places in this realm. Here they will be trained to do so. Although, very few succeed in doing so, all who do not, will be kept as ministers or help to the rulers. Now, we do request you buy some things for the students. I will explain everything else to the parents if you will come with me, you students can look around this complex. It is not the school, but it is where you will get inspiration for your first assignment.” saying this, she signaled for the parents to follow her.

Ammerylis look at her mom and nodded. Her parents turned and walked with the crowd, she went and began to speak to Ari.

“Well, isn’t this beautiful?” she asked.

“Yeah, it is.” Ari  replied absentmindedly.

“You know the portraits in the hall didn’t you find them interesting?” she asked, “Didn’t there seem to be something special?  I mean, there seemed to be this strange power. Especially the last one, she practically glowed with power.” 

She suddenly seemed to be more interested in the conversation, “Really? You don’t suppose you want to investigate to find out more about those portraits. I am pretty bored, and that seems like something fun.”

“ Sure, you want to go to the library, I bet we could find something or another there!” Ammerylis stated excitedly.

“No silly, lets go to the portraits obviously!” Ari turned and began to go back into the hallway.

“But the library knows stuff!” she shrieked before running behind Ari.

Ammerylis abruptly came to a stop and glared at what Ari was doing. She snickered and went closer, seeing that she was engrossed in staring at the portrait. It was the one of the lady in the dress made of diamond shards , with the hair that glowed with power . She tapped Ari on her shoulder, completely startling her. She shrieked as she fell backwards hitting the frame of the painting, when the noise of an object falling could be heard. Ammerylis looked down at what seemed to be a smaller portrait. On it was a creature, which was somewhat like a horse. It’s skin was like white marble , and it’s eyes were literal diamonds. The wings were large, and had a warm golden tint to them, slowly fading away to a light brown  as it reached the bottom , they looked like an eagle’s wings. It’s mane pointed upwards, and lastly, at the very edge of the head, was a crest, which was indescribable. It was like a golden liquid, and shone in a magnificent way.

“What is that?” Ari said in a tone of curiosity.

“ Like I would know,”, she said in an irritable tone, “now can we go to the library to find out what it actually is.”

“No. I want to have fun, not spend my time reading books about boring drawings.” she said and ran off again.

“Well, even  if you don’t want to find out more about this, I still am!” she yelled, and looked closer at the small picture. She stared at it for a bit, finally coming upon the conclusion that there was not much interesting to notice. She turned to find a library when suddenly a question popped up into her mind. She went back to the giant portrait and attempted to look behind it, the portrait was completely stuck to the wall, there was no gap, but the painting of the weird creature had a thick frame, how was it able to fit behind it before? She tried to push the giant picture forward, but eventually gave up due to its immense weight. She stared at the other portraits, maybe there were paintings behind them too. She went to the one with the woman with the large blue dress and stepped forward to shake it, when she suddenly felt a jolt of reluctance course through her, she felt unsure on whether doing this was right, she could get in trouble. She hesitated for a moment, but finally, her curiosity had gotten the best of her. She shook it once, nothing seemed to have happened. Amaryllis sighed, her so-called theory probably wouldn’t have worked anyway, she clenched the painting tightly and left, unaware if any reading could help figure this out.


                                                                                             To Be Continued ...