“Your Next Lesson”
“Do I have to go? It’s cold outside! Can’t I just stay here this time? I won’t miss much.”
“No Mitchell, you know how important these lessons are for you.”
“But Ms. Carla --”
“No ‘buts’, go get dressed, I’ll walk with you. I have to go that way anyway.”
“Ugh… Alright, be back in a flash!”

I zoomed up the stairs and took the 2nd right into the room that I share with my 2 foster brothers. It was smaller than most rooms shared by 3 boys. Andrew and Kyle were 12 year old twins, and I, 15. In our room we had bunk-beds and a twin bed. Andrew was on the top reading his ‘Book of Spells’, while Kyle was playing his video games on the bottom -- as usual.

“Getting ready for your lesson with Prof. Angladash?” Kyle asked, making a quick glance at me.
“Yeah. You guys should come too. It’s been a while since you went with us. How about it?”
Andrew doggy eared the page he was on and shut his book. “I’ll go, just give me a minute to gather my things.” He slid down the ladder, grabbed his green and yellow striped shirt and stonewashed blue jeans and slipped them on. “Where’s my jacket?” He looked around the room, under the beds, in the closet and under the computer desk, he couldn’t find it.

“Maybe it’s downstairs? That’s the last place I saw it,” I told him. I slipped on my favorite winter boots, and put my sneakers in my backpack, along with my spell book and magic wand. “Okay, my jacket’s down stairs too. Kyle, are you coming?”
“Nah. I have to beat this level.” He didn’t even bother to look up, he was so focused on the 3x3 screen.
“Suite yourself!” I turned out of the room and headed towards the stairs.
Halfway down the stairs I slipped on the broken step. “Whoa!” A mist of purple and gold shimmered around me as I stood motionless in the air above the broken step.
“How many times do I have to tell you to be careful?” Ms. Carla scolded. She slowly lowered her hands, placing me at the bottom of the stairs. The purple-gold mist vanished as she put her hands at her sides.  “Please, be careful.”
Ms. Carla was a retired Wizard. She still used her powers, but not like she used to. I don’t fully understand why she retired at such a young age. She doesn't like to talk about it, and I’m not one to pry.
“Uh. Did I miss something?” Andrew asked worriedly.
“No, nothing extravagant. Shall we go?” Ms. Carla opened the door and gestured us to go first.
“I still have to find my coat!” Andrew exclaimed.
“It’s on the coat rack, where it belongs,” Ms. Clara told him with a wink.
He went and grabbed his coat, and we left the house.
We lived on a street not that inhabited by ‘people’, but rather Witches and Warlocks. I was in training to become a Wizard.
I've lived with Carla for as long as I can remember. I never really knew my parents other than that they were Demons. Yes, Demons. Carla was good friends with my mom throughout Jr. and Sr. High. She’d tell me stories about how my mom could change into different creatures whenever she wanted. I hoped I could do the same, with practice of course, unfortunately, all I can do is levitate objects and set things on fire. But today, Prof. Angladash is going to teach me how to freeze things.
“Gosh, I hate the snow,” Andrew whined. He dragged his boots in the snow as he trudged forward. “It’s a lot farther than I recall,” He took another deep step in the snow, and lurched forward. His boot was caught under the snow and Andrew took a nose dive into the newly fallen snow. That purple- gold mist was back. Ms. Carla had her hands in the air, bringing Andrew to his previous standing position.
“For heavens sake, can’t you boys go a day without getting yourselves into things?”
Andrew’s black hair was snow-capped like the tops of mountains. His nose was red and runny, I couldn't tell if he was embarrassed or just cold, probably both. I laughed and brushed the snow off his head.
“Are you still able to walk or do we have to carry you?” I nudged his arm with my elbow.
“Ha-ha. I’m fine.” Andrew complied. He stood up and brushed the remaining snow off and started walking ahead.
After another of what seemed like forever -- Which was probably just 15 minutes -- we arrived at the mansion. It was bigger than any other house I've seen. It was old, and looked abandoned. The paint on the wall was chipping off badly, and the weeds were out of hand. Vines wrapped themselves around the four large pillars. It looked like the entrance to a magic garden, but this time, it gave me a weird feeling. I felt a strange presence coming from the small lean-to shed to the left of the massive home. I didn't think much of it since this place always gave me the creeps.
We walked up to the enormous doors. A baby Tyrannosaurus Rex could fit through them with ease, that is, if someone opened the doors for him first. Ms. Carla knocked on the door. Within the next 10 seconds the doors creaked open simultaneously showing the grand entrance. Right in front of us was  the grand staircase, at the top was the Professor.

“Good evening my lovelies... How was your journey here? I hope it wasn't too bad.” He snapped his fingers and vanished in a cloud of red ashy smoke, and reappeared in front of Andrew,  looking at him with curiosity.
“My, my, my.. Haven’t you gotten big. It’s been a long time my dear. The last time I saw you, you were this tall.” He held his hand at mid thigh, then looked at Ms. Carla.

“Carla… Lovely as always. How have you been m’lady?” He seemed uneasy, as if he was scared of what she might say.
“We’re fine. The journey was fine,” She replied.
“Wonderful.. Are the children ready for their lessons? We’re going to be learning about freezing spells and time spells.” He went to his study and brought back some books and handed them to Andrew and I. “You boys go into the study, I’ll be there soon, I just have to speak with Carla alone.” He gave her a malicious look.
“It’s okay boys, we’ll be right there. Go on,” She insisted.

“Alright.”
Andrew and I walked up the stairs. There was a white grand piano sitting dead center at the top of the stairs. We took a left into what we thought was the dining room, but had no table. Just chairs. The silver plates and utensils were floating in mid air, surrounded by the same red ashy smoke that had appeared around the Professor earlier. We walked out of the dining room, and into the study. We sat on the Shaes lounge, waiting for Ms. Carla and the Prof. to arrive.

All of a sudden the house began to shake. It made the pictures fall off the wall, Andrew almost fell over. To top it off, Ms. Carla and the Prof. still weren't here.
“What’s going on?!” Andrew cried.
“I think it’s an earthquake,” I replied.
Moments later, the shaking seized and the professor came upstairs. “Are you children alright?” he asked.
“Yeah, we’re fine. What was that?”
“Your next lesson.”