Maddox felt swept up in the jumble of new information the next two weeks, each little moment an adventure in itself. He had learned Anna was a stunning cook, even though he couldn't recognize a thing she made. Every dish was filled with tiny red fruits called mayberries, spiky-green spicea weed, salawa fox and jackalope meat, and giant black fruits nicknamed Persephone's pomegranate.

On top of that, he learned Kadri was an artist. It had only taken one trip to his studio near the top of the mountains to learn that he was gifted. He had painted cities Maddox could never dream of, sunsets that made his heart flutter, and rainy days that couldn't be beaten by an umbrella. Kadri had even invented a new type of paint made from dragon-egg shells and pixie dust. It was what had allowed Maddox to fall through the painting in the first place, teleporting him all the way to Alfheim.

And with all this new information crashing down on him, Kat and Robin became almost like crutches, guiding him from fact to fact. They had told him every little mystic tidbit he never knew he needed: Dragons are only the size of cats and make great pets. The Alfheim forest is dangerous, so kids aren't allowed to go into the more dangerous parts. Other than that, it's great for field trips. Moonlight can literally kill you if you're not careful, Alfheim is protected by mysterious soldiers called The Guard that are never seen(and more of a legend than a fact), and don't mess with fairies. They may just kidnap you and steal your hair.

He found Kat was the best help though, especially since Maddox ended up taking his offer of 'what's mine is yours' seriously. He was constantly drowning in Kat's over-sized sweatshirts and jeans, borrowing his old school books, his desk, room, pens; everything he needed that he had left back home in California. And finding that he had adjusted to the idea of a hidden magical society far better than he should have, Anna decided it was time to send Maddox to school.

"Can someone explain to me the difference between moonburn and sunburn?" Mr. Doroath scanned the students spread throughout the room as a dozen or so hands flew into the air. Maddox had devoured every last tidbit of information on his first day of school, his brain swimming with thoughts and explanations of things he had learned in only the first two hours.

Now, tucked in the back of an ashy, stone-walled room, he buried his nose in an old textbook, trying to learn everything he could from glancing over at Robin's notes.

"Sunburn is a minor inconvenience, but moonburn can kill you." A rather hefty boy spoke up, Mr. Doroath nodding in agreement as Maddox fiercely began to take notes.

"Exactly," he agreed, beginning to draw glowing lines in the air with the tip of his finger. Maddox had learned quickly that teachers tended to condense little lines of light in order to draw things, instead of using chalkboards or computers. It wasn't long until little shimmering moons and suns hung in the air at the touch of Mr. Doroath's hand.

"You see, moonlight is harmless until it comes in contact with a luminescent's light. When the two meet, it spurs a reaction..." Maddox struggled to keep up as more golden lines began to swim through the air. "...And turns the victim's skin to silver. It can penetrate as deep as the organs if the victim is exposed to moonlight long enough, and eventually kill them. If not, they may come away with blindness, permanent muscle damage, and permanent silver scars. Maybe even a metal limb. Now, who can tell me why hardly anyone gets moonburn?"

"Awareness." The same boy spoke up again as Maddox tried as hard as he could to follow along. Robin's notes were hardly helping anymore since she had stopped writing a while ago. "Luminescents have gotten better at keeping covered during the night or staying inside during a full moon."

"Great." Doroath swept away the lingering beams of light and began to draw again, Maddox frantically trying to remember what he still had to take notes on. "Let's move onto volcano mice. Who knows the symptoms of their venom?"

But before the pudgy boy could answer again, an ear-splitting bell rang through the room and Maddox scrambled out the door.

If he didn't have Robin to guide him, Maddox knew that he would be lost. Dobra Škola was full of hidden twists and turns, winding through the mess of mountains like tunnels. With each classroom, it was a mystery whether he would be at the top of a mountain with a stunning view, or buried among rocks with a chilled dampness. Still, he found it far more beautiful than any prestigious school his parents had sent him to and adored each and every creative flaw.

"So, Uh, what's this whole mythical creatures class?" Maddox timidly piped up, struggling to hold onto his schedule while keeping his books from tumbling to the ground. Anna had thought it would be a good idea to hold him back a year so he could follow Robin around, but it did little to help him understand. It also didn't help that Robin had absolutely no interest in learning. "Cause I'm not really sure I'm ready to fight any magical creatures or anything."

Robin stifled a laugh as she pulled open a heavy wooden door, as intricately carved as the homes of Alfheim. "Relax. All we do is take care of dragons and talk to fairies. Just boring stuff like that." Gesturing to the open door, Maddox groaned under his breath, not wanting her to know that taking care of dragons terrified him just as much as fighting them.

The whole classroom seemed like a forgotten attic with scattered desks and a yellow light from the filthy windows. Stacks of old boxes covered in dusty rugs piled the sides of the room and against the doorway, making it a maze just to get in, while chairs stood in front of shelves so full, a waterfall of trinkets seemed prepared to crash on his head.

Lost in mystic wonder, Maddox began to note every little masterpiece and gadget: sparkling mobiles cluttered on the stone ceiling and strange plants that poked from the walls. A cage full of shining lights that floated like fairies(which he realized might actually be what they were) was balanced on the teacher's desk and standing in front of him...