Knight of the Black Rose (15 page)

"Glad to see that you're full of energy, but do be careful; you don't want to break anything before you get there," Glen teased as he left him to get ready. "I'll do you some breakfast when you come down; it's going to be a long day,"

"Okay..." Will said as he followed him out, but he turned right to the bathroom.

Fifteen minutes later and Will was running down the stairs fully dressed, wearing jeans, t-shirt and a denim jacket; he looked at his case next to the door knowing that it wouldn't be long now until he was setting off. Just as he was walking through the living room there was a knock at the door, he whirled around smiling, hoping that it was going to be Alex had they had agreed to give him a ride because his dad couldn't get the time off either, and Laura couldn't drive. Will ran back over to the door, took the chain off and swung it back as his dad had already unlocked it.

"Good morning," Nelson said sounding a little on edge.

"Hay Will," Alex said brightly as he stepped around his dad and went inside. "Morning Glen,"

"Alex...Nelson nice to see you," Glen said as he came out of the kitchen to greet them both.

"Err...yeah, morning; thanks for taking Alex for us," Nelson said struggling inside with an even bigger case than Will had; they could even hear the things inside moving around.

"Dad enchanted mine, so I could get more things in," Will told Alex as he went over to join him.

"Mum did mine, but I still seem to have loads of stuff," Alex told him.

Glen could see how uncomfortable Nelson seemed, he kind of understood why, but he would have also thought that the man would have gotten used to it by now considering that he had known the secret for well over ten years now; but it still seemed like a problem to him.

"So Nelson, are you staying to see them off, it won't be long...Infidus will be here, in about five ten minutes?" Glen asked him, as Will and Alex went through to the kitchen.

"I'm afraid I can't, I have to get going to work," Nelson told him.

Glen didn't believe him, mainly considering what time it was. "He's your son; this means a lot to him...it means a lot that his dad accepts who and what he is. Yes he might run around with that smile on his face, but it does hurt him; trust me, I know."

"What do you know? You're one of them; you can't possibly know how hard this is for me," Nelson told him angrily. "I can't even tell my parents where he's going to school...or why they can't see him that often... So don't you dare say that you understand,"

"He's your son," Glen said.

"Yeah well...it isn't as though I signed up for the whole witch thing...I didn't even know," Nelson told him. "I thought with time that I might be able to live with it..."

Glen didn't like people who dragged their feet, especially when in doing so, it hurt others around him; especially those who he cared about. "If you can't, then you need to tell them, instead of hurting them both like this making them feel as though what they are is wrong all because of your ideals."

Nelson was taken aback at how blunt he was being, yes they had kind of talked before, but nothing like this. "I don't know what you're saying,"

"Oh I think you do," Glen said annoyed with the man. "Make a decision and stick with it, it isn't hard,"

"Well err...err...yes...well..." Nelson said not sure what he was supposed to be doing as he made to leave, and then stopped suddenly remembering that he had forgotten to say goodbye. "Alex!"

Alex came running through with a piece of toast in his hand and with Will right behind him, then stopped when he saw his dad on the other side of the door, that he hadn’t even come inside yet.

"I have to go," Nelson told him.

"Oh...you're not staying?" Alex said disappointedly.

"I have to get to work," Nelson told him, then slowly held his arms out and Alex went over; they hugged briefly before stepping apart again. "You're going to love school, and then you can come home at Christmas,"

Alex nodded, wishing that they weren't doing this in front of his best friend. "Right,"

"I'll see you later," Nelson said, nodded at Glen before he left.

"Are you alright?" Glen asked Alex.

"Yeah...sure...he's been upset about this since I got the letter..." Alex told him.

Glen looked at Will, and then turned to close the door but didn't bother because he heard a car pulling up, so looked out and right on time with Infidus pulling up.

"They're here," Glen told them.

"See, he could have waited," Alex said annoyed, and then munched on his toast not looking at any of them.

"I'll take your cases out," Glen told them as he grabbed the handles of both cases and turned them around.

Alex waited until Glen had left the house before he said anything. "I can't believe that he just left like that, he promised mum that he would stay to watch me leave,"

"Really?" Will asked surprised.

"He doesn't even start until nine...and it's what...sevenish...?" Alex said looking around for a clock because he didn't have a watch on.

"That's weird," Will agreed, but he also knew how Nelson got about all this.

"Come on you two!" Glen shouted from outside.

They both smiled at each other, everything else forgotten and then ran outside down the path to where Glen was waiting for them next to the car; they looked around for their cases but they were already loaded.

"Those cases fit in there?" Alex asked as though he didn't believe it was possible considering how big they had all been, and then with Stuarts as well; he was already in the car, sitting up front with his dad.

"It's called magic, remember that's what you're going to be learning at school," Glen told him smiling, then he hugged him. "Behave and do well,"

"Thanks I'll try," Alex said hugging him back, before he stepped aside for Will.

Glen hugged Will even tighter. "I want you to remember to behave as well, do the best that you can; and write to me,"

Will hugged him back, as he told himself that he wasn't going to cry in front of anyone, guys weren't supposed to cry. "I will dad,"

"Okay then," Glen said stepping back. "You better get in the car,"

Alex opened the door and slide across first, then Will; Glen closed the door and bent down to speak with Infidus.

"You'll call me when you get there?" Glen asked.

"Course," Infidus told him. "Everything alright?"

Glen looked into the back at Will and Alex before he answered. "Yeah sure. Right then, see you all at Christmas,"

"See ya dad!" Will shouted and waved at him through the window as he stepped back, and Infidus started the car up again, before he pulled out. They both turned around in their seats so they could wave for as long as they could, before they turned the corner and they were on their way. "I can't believe that we're finally going,"

"I know...I never thought that I would be wishing the holidays to be over so quickly," Alex agreed.

"It wears off," Stuart told them from up front.

"So you're not looking forward to going back?" Alex asked.

"I don't mind going back," Stuart answered.

"What about all your friends, you'll get to see them properly," Will pointed out.

"So yeah...are you going to tell us how they choose you for the different estates?" Alex asked excitedly.

"It's a secret," Infidus told them. "You'll find out when you get there, just like everyone else,"

"That isn't fair," Alex said annoyed, as he had hoped that they might let them in on the big secret considering that they were now on their way.

"Dad wouldn't tell me either," Will told him shrugging; he hadn’t really expected to get anything out of his uncle, as he was just as tight lipped as his dad, even more so.

Will was getting bored, they had been in the car far ages, driving closer to the coast the whole time, and now they had turned off normal roads and were going down a dirt road and a thick fog had rolled in suddenly kind of like from no where; but Infidus still seemed to know where he was heading, even though they could hardly see anything.

"Is this normal?" Alex asked trying not to sound so nervous, because he thought that it was really weird.

"Yes," Stuart answered smilpy.

"How much further?" Will asked.

"That light there, it's the car park," Infidus told them.

Will and Alex sat up straight and looked out through the middle, at first neither of them could see the light that he had mentioned, but then just as suddenly as it had appeared the fog vanished before them and they could see a huge busy car park. There were cars parked up everywhere and kids with cases talking with their parents.

"This is the dock?" Alex asked confused then pointed to the left. "There coaches..."

"Yes, to make it easier to get here; people are coming from all over," Infidus told them as he slowed down entering the car park for an empty space. "They all come here, no matter where they live, then you travel to the school on the ship."

Will and Alex looked through the back window following the direction to where everyone was heading, but neither of them could see a ship on any kind just a large wooden building that everyone was entering.

"Try not to look as though this is your first time doing anything magical," Stuart told them.

"We're not!" They both shouted at him.

"That'll be enough of that," Infidus told them sternly as they stopped and he turned the engine off. "You were both told to behave remember, and you haven't even left the car."

"Sorry," Will mumbled as he opened his door, the smell of the ocean hitting him straight away, but he still couldn't see it; the fog was still surrounding the outer edges like a barrier, so that no one would be able to see in unless they were magical.

Infidus got out of the car and went around to the boot opening it for them as they followed; he pulled the cases out one at a time and then closed the boot once more, like it hadn’t been any trouble to pull three heavy cases out of it.

"Wow, he didn't even use magic...he must be strong," Alex said impressed that he was able to lift his case, when his own dad couldn't; his mum had ended up bringing it down the stairs with magic which of course had annoyed his dad.

"Of course he is," Stuart said as though this was obvious.

"Okay now," Infidus said as he turned to Stuart. "Behave and do well in your classes,"

"Always," Stuart said glaring at Will, then turned back to his dad. "I'll see you in a couple of months then...I'm going to find my friends,"

"Okay then," Infidus nodded then turned back to Will and Alex. "Do you want me to walk you over?"

They both looked at each, as though wondering if they needed him to.

"I can watch from here, I won't be leaving until the ship sets off if you need me for anything," Infidus told them, he understood that it wasn’t really
cool
to be walked over, though some of the first time parents often did.

"Oh...okay then," Will said. "We'll see you at Christmas,"

"Thanks for the ride," Alex said waving as he struggled to turn his case around almost tripping up over it. "I can't believe how heavy this thing is...I think it weighs more than I do."

"It's that cauldron thing and the book," Will agreed as they slowly made their way over to the dock where everyone else was heading.

"Have you seen Troy's car anywhere?" Alex asked as he scanned the area, but there were just too many of them and they all kind of looked the same to him.

"Not yet," Will said looking around as well, while also trying to make sure that he didn't walk into anyone.

The entrance to the dock was crowded with parents saying goodbye to their children for the first time getting all upset, while the older students pushed their way through to get in, not seeming to have the same problem with their own parents.

Lucy was among them, she kept looking over her shoulder, her sister and brother had already gone on ahead looking for their friends; her younger brother Craig was stood beside her mum upset because he was the only one who weren't allowed to go yet considering that he was two years younger than her.

"Now I want you to remember to write to me every week," Joyce told her again as she hugged her.

Charles put a hand on her shoulder and she stepped back letting go of her so that he could speak. "Lucy I want you to remember everything that I said,"

Lucy nodded, she would have preferred something a bit more than an order, but it was the best that she was going to get from her dad, as he was kind of stiff at times. "Of course dad. Right...err...I'm going to get a cabin and see if I can find anyone that I know,"

"Be safe dear," Joyce told her kissing her once more before Charles could pull her back, and Craig pulled on her as well.