By the age of eleven Elita was already as tall as, if not taller than, her aunt and taller than all of the boys her age. She was glad that despite the teasing she received from the older boys, most people were willing to accept her and liked her despite her unusual size. The older women who had once cooed at how cute she was felt sorry for her lack of a father and gave her little treats when they saw her in the streets.

Elita soon grew tired of all thr attention and started to slouch in an attempt to look shorter as she walked around and shopped for her aunt who had started struggling to walk the previous year. Healers had tried to help her, but treatment was expensive and money was needed for food which had grown expensive due to the drought. She was tired of quite literally sticking out in a crowd and was desperate for some anonymity.

One warm summer morning during the holidays she stood at her bedroom window. She stared at the cornflower blue sky while the gentle breeze carried the sweet smells of the fragrant flowers in the plain next the the town through her window. She gently let the soft material of her pale blue curtains slide between her fingers, thinking about the rare time she got to spend with her mum when she saw it: a raven with coarse feathers and powerful wings flying straight at her. She shrieked and jumped away from the window.

"Mum! C-come here please!" Elita shouted. She continued to walk backwards, glancing over her shoulder at the wall behind her.

"What's wrong, darling?" she asked, hurrying towards the bedroom, worried by the tone of Elita's voice. Rash hopped along behind her, his fur quivering.

"A-a raven just flew in through my window!" she stuttered, shivering as she pushed herself into a corner in an attempt to escape from the approaching bird, its eyes flashing and beak clicking. It cawed loudly, its voice harsh and coarse like the sound of rusted metal on rocks.

Elita was immensely surprised when her mother smiled excitedly and gave her a huge hug. Rash approached the bird, making a warm, buzzing sound. The bird hopped towards him and held out a foot. They started to speak in their own language, clearly happy to see each other. A region of Elita's mind started to calm, the feeling spreading out like ripples from a pebble.

"Oh! I've been waiting for this day since you were born!" she exclaimed, kissing Elita's forehead. "Maria! It's come! It's finally come!" She then turned to Elita and said, "Come. The raven has a letter for you. It's a Soul Animal. It will explain everything. You'll see. Just walk towards it. There's no need to be scared. I promise that it won't hurt you. I know it has sharp talons, I see them too, but it won't use them on you. It can't. You know that." Her mother continued to babble on in her excitement and Elita shut out her loud voice.

Elita slowly tiptoed out of the corner and cautiously approached the raven, prepared to turn and run at any moment. She wasn't quite sure that it truly was a Soul Animal. If it was, it couldn't touch her just as she couldn't touch it, as it wasn't hers. She reached out a shaking arm and flowed to the side like a ripple in water in a dull flash of pale blue light.

Elita sighed in relief. It truly was a Soul Animal. Rash walked away from the black, outstretched wings, wriggling his fluffy pale pink shoulders. Elita reached out a quivering hand and it flew over her head, the wind of its wings ruffling her dark hair. The raven dropped a scroll on her bed and turned its head back towards the window. It spread its wings and flew out the window again. Rash watched the bird go, letting out a warm buzzing noise as it flew off. Elita simply stared down at the piece of paper it had dropped.

"Open it," said Aunty Maria gently. The excitement was clear in her voice. She had clearly anticipated this moment as much as Elita's mother had. Her kangda hopped around at her feet, thumping her long, heavy tail against the wooden floor, not seeming bothers by all the spinners she was probably picking up.

Elita slowly smoothed out the thick parchment with her hands and read the elegant handwriting, while her aunt and mother smiled lovingly at her, both tense with anticipation. The Soul Animals paused and watched too, everyone silently waiting for what was to come.

"GRADIA MAGICAL SCHOOL
Headmistress: Madame Olia Goola

Dear Elita Goola
We are pleased to inform you that your Seer has recommended to us that you attend out school. You shall be required to attend an interview and undergo our Incomers Test to ensure that you are a suitable candidate for a student. You are required to meet at our gates at sunrise on the Dry Season Midday. Should you be accepted, term starts on the final quarter day.
We look forward to meeting you.

Yours sincerely,
Janalia Dasau and Hetra
Head of First Years"

Elita mouthed the words as she read, the frown in her forehead deepening as she read further, becoming more and more confused by the second. She looked at her mum, with questioning eyes. The letter hadn't answered any of her questions, but instead had given even her more, the most pressing of which was why her mother had never told her that she was a candidate for acceptance at her school. She opened her mouth to ask her mum what the letter was about, but before she could her mum started speaking.

"Elita, I known this is hard to comprehend. I am a mindmatter witch, and your father is a failed wizard. He was said to be one but his magic was far too weak to do anything much with his life. This letter is from the school I work at and, should you choose to accept, you would most likely be able to attend. I can't see you failing the test and the interview is merely a formality to keep out those who do not have the right mindset for magical learning. Of course your aunt could continue to train you if you preferred but I think it would be incredibly beneficial for you to attend Gradia. You are a bright girl and this your key to becoming the most successful person you can be."

Elita's mind was an ocean. Her thoughts swirled around and crashed into each other like waves and currents. "But- but I'm not a witch?" she muttered. It came out more like a question than a statement so she continued. "If I had been it would have been discovered years ago and an appropriate mentor would have found me already."

"That may be true," her mum confirmed, "but Gradia is not a school for witches and wizards. It is a school for the more magically inclined humans. You have a great deal of magic inside you dear, even if you do not possess the additional skills and talents of a witch. I used to think that maybe you were one and feared the day that you would be taken from me. Luckily that day never came."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Elita interrupted her mother in mid explanation. Her voice was cold and demanding but pain shone through her eyes. Her lip trembled. "Why wasn't I good enough to know the truth."

"We, your aunt and I, thought it would be best if you got to experience a normal childhood. We didn't want you to constantly worry about Gradia. There's nothing you can do - the Seers choose our candidates and we dodnt want to risk you being disappointed if you fisnt get in. We both knew that you are excellent with numbers but we didn't know of you'd get the opportunity or not. Magic is not all the Seers look at. Maybe your life path would have lead you somewhere completely different. "

Elita looked down sadly. She knew she should be happy, but she felt betrayed and wasn't sure if she could believe the people she had trusted so completely now that they had revealed that they had lied to her her whole life. "But if you work there, why didn't you know? Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, a sad look on her usually cheerful face.

Olia sighed deeply. "Darling, I do work at Gradia but I have nothing to do with the acceptance procedure. Only Janalia and Hetra know the procedure and only she knows who is accepted. That's why she sends Hetra with acceptance letters. The Seers speak to her and her only and she is forbidden from telling anyone else anything that they tell her. We only find out who the students are when they arrive. The procedure had been a secret for centuries. It's passed on only to the next witch or wizard who will be in charge of the process. The founders wished it to be so. I'm sorry, Elita. I would have told you sooner if I had known. "

Elita stared in front of her, her eyes blank and unseeing. "What kind of magic do you think I have?"

Olia looked over to Maria. Maria smiled down at Elita, Saanda sitting on her feet. "I'm not sure, Elita but it's something related to numbers. I can tell you that it's got nothing to do with farming or plants. Getting you to grow anything was always a nightmare! It always died within a week." A cheeky smile crossed her face. "Dont worry, Gradia will help you discover it, whatever it is. You should go, even if just for that. They'll help you grow it."

Elita gave a weak smile at her aunt's joke but it quickly faded to nothing once more. The group say in silence and a small smile started to form on Elita's face once more. "When is the test again?"