"Mom, I'll be fine... it's not the end of the world or anything!" the black-haired boy frowned, looking up at his mother, "Stop worrying!"

The tall woman tutted, her black, gloved hands quickly readjusted her son's collar, much to his discomfort. He made a mental note to unbutton the top button after she left, to give himself at least a little but of breathing space.

"It's your first day of official magic schooling, how could I not be worried?"

The boy narrowed his eyes in an almost cat-like manner.

"It's not like someone's going to die or get hurt there: Scarwood is the best of the schools out there, and you went there yourself, mom."

"Yes, I know, but still, I'm allowed to be concerned for my son, aren't I? A lot can change in 15 years."

Sugar rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything more. Then, a rapping sound from the door caught his mother's attention.

"What's the matter?"

"Ah, Lady Sybil!" the voice of one of the apprentice witches floated from the other side of the door, "your brother wishes to see you."

"Rhion? What could he possibly be looking for? On today of all days..." she turned back to her son, "Stay right here, Sugar, I'll be only a minute." With that, she strode out of the room, and as she did, the boy breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, he wouldn't need to deal with being fussed over.

He quickly walked over to the mirror and messed up his carefully styled hair until it finally resembled his normal look, which was a feat, considering the amount of charms and hair gel applied to it. Seriously, what was his mom thinking? His normal hair was fine! He also loosened his collar, glad at being able to breathe again. And another thing: he wasn't going to stay put. Not when there was something far more interesting.

His uncle never really got involved with anything to do with the magic world anymore, not since he got married to that human, so him coming out all the way to the Blood Coven was definitely something strange and definitely something he had to witness.

Sugar crept out of the room, and slowly followed the sound of voices to where his mother and uncle were talking in a room. Keeping himself hidden, he kept his ears peeled for all the juicy details.

"Look, Sybil, I'm not telling you to change your plans completely, it's just that... it's her. Do we really trust her? I mean, this is just plain old risky! We're just asking for a repeat of The Incident." the usually velvety smooth voice of his uncle now had a quiver to it. Barely noticeable, but there nonetheless.

"Rhion. We made this decision a long time ago." however, his mother remained as impassive and calm as ever, "There's no way anything bad could happen, and besides, if what you say is true, she'll be much less likely to try anything. In this position, all eyes are on her. Any move she makes will be scrutinised and judged."

"Yes, but she seems like the type to come back for... revenge, you know? I wouldn't be surprised if she came back to target you or something. You are the one who revealed the whole thing..."

"I have faith that she changed."

"Well, I don't!" Rhion snapped, "Sybil. Something bad will happen if you keep trusting her! I can feel it. You know what? Fine, fine, but when it happens, just know, I've already warned you." with that, angry footsteps headed for the door. Sugar didn't even have time to pretend he hadn't been eavesdropping on the whole thing when his uncle stormed through into the hallway.

Rhion Thorn. Although he was part of this family of witches, he wasn't really one of them, at least not in the sense that he fit in. Maybe it was the golden blond hair, a stark contrast to the rest of the family's dark ones, or it was the fact that he never really showed much of an interest in learning anything about magic. But he was strong, even with that apparent lack of training. And so, had as much sway in this family as his sister did. As he walked out, he turned to see Sugar, doing an awful job at hiding, and his stony expression softened.

"Ah Sugar, how are you? So, I heard you're starting at Scarwood, hm? Hope you last longer than me!" he walked over and ruffled the boy's hair, much to Sugar's displeasure.

"Well, I'll be on my way then...Hey Sybil," he turned back, acting as he had not just argued with his sister, "Do you want me to drop the little guy off? The forest's off on the way... No? Okay then."

Rhion sighed and was about to head out the door, when he appeared to suddenly remember something.

" Right, before I forget... here, " he placed a small blue-grey stone into the boy's hand." your mom thinks you won't be in danger at Scarwood, but I'm not too sure. This is just an amulet for protection. Don't tell your mother."

His uncle winked, gave Sugar a pat on the back, and began heading out the door, for real this time. As the door clicked shut, he was left alone, just him and his confusing thoughts.

Danger? At Scarwood? But it was the most secure and prestigious magic academy in the world. And from what he had heard, why would this dangerous person go for him? And furthermore, the danger had to be great enough for his uncle to give him an amulet. And Rhion never gave anything away...

As he continued to worry, his mother stepped out of the room as well.

"Ah, Sugar, there you are!"

He jumped, hurriedly shoved the rock into his pocket, and turned to face his mom. Sybil tutted a bit, noticing his newly-messed up hair, but didn't mention it. Probably knew that there was no way in the world she was going to get him to put it back the way it was.

"So, are you ready to go? You'll need to get going soon. Can't have you getting lost on your first day, can we?"

She remained as calm as ever, almost to the point that Sugar could almost believe that nothing out of the ordinary had ever happened.

"Uh, yeah mom, I'm ready."

But even as he said so, the weight of the stone lay heavy in his pocket, and a sort of dread sat in the bottom of his stomach.

"Good, I've already sent out your belongings to the school, so all we need to do is pack you a carry on bag and set out for the forest!"

✧༺✦✮✦༻∞　　∞༺✦✮✦༻✧

Now Sugar and his mother were now standing in front of a dark, twisting wood. An enchanted forest. They were pretty common around the world, if you knew where to look for them, but despite them being common, they were all pretty much isolated and far from any form of civilisation. But then again, their manor was also in the middle of nowhere. Perks of being part of the inner circle of a High Witch, Sugar supposed.

Most humans would stay away from these types of places. Just one look into the twisting trees would be an indication that it would be near impossible not to get lost. But for witches, these forests were the most efficient ways of travel. If a witch entered one, thinking about where they wanted to go, they would walk out of the enchanted forest closest to their desired location, no matter how far it was.

You only really needed to know that fact to use one of them properly, but once again, his mother insisted on doing the most, so Sugar got an earful on the history of the forests on the 500 yard walk from their back garden to the treeline.

"So Sugar, that's why these forests are so used by us witches, and how their abilities have changed over time."

Sugar just nodded, pretending like he was paying attention to and understood everything. But his mother saw through it in an instant.

"Sugar Thorn! If you're not going to pay attention to me, I have no idea how you are going to get grades that are anywhere near good." She said with a firm tap on the shoulder.

"It's not like I'm getting a pop quiz on this..." he muttered, rubbing his shoulder.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing!"

The two were now standing right in front of the forest, neither of them really moving much. Finally, Sybil broke the silence.

"You have all the crucial supplies, right?"

"You double-checked twice this morning, yes I do." Sugar said, shaking the little satchel he carried. It was just a few things he would need for the first day, until he could go to his dorm and unpack the rest of his belongings.

"If you see a light in the forest, do not follow it, just keep walking straight ahead."

"I know, mom! I'm not dumb enough to go wandering off after will-o-wisps!" Sugar rolled his eyes, and his mother seemed content.

Then, quickly, she leant down, and grabbed her son's shoulders.

"And most importantly, don't reveal our secret, unless you absolutely have to."

Sugar nodded solemnly.

"If you do turn out... A little different, we'll find some way to explain it, alright?"

"Alright mom, I know."

His mother's grip loosened and she stood back up.

"Well, have fun on your first day, honey. Do you want me to walk with you there? It is your first time travelling through an enchanted forest..."

"No, it's fine. I'm thirteen now, not a little baby! See you, mom!"

With a wave, Sugar began heading into the sea of trees, when he heard his mother call out to him again.

"Sugar, wait!" he called, "Please do try to make some friends, won't you?"

"I will, don't worry."

And with that, Sugar entered the woods, disappearing among the twisting branches. 

┌─── ･ ｡ﾟ★: *.☪ .* :☆ﾟ. ───┐

𝔸𝕦𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕣'𝕤 𝕟𝕠𝕥𝕖

└─── ･ ｡ﾟ★: *.☪ .* :☆ﾟ. ───┘

And we start! And what is that stone you ask? I'm not telling! Either way, next chapter will feature my favourite character in this story!! Can't wait to make him terrorise Sugar >:333

~Del