Silver Moon Academy Book 1: The Curse of Silver Moon.Chapter 2 

                                      Three days later…

   Beep! Beeeeep! BEEEEEP! My alarm clock screeched at me. Suddenly, I sat up which caused my blankets and sheets to go flying into the air.

   “AHA!” I cried leaping off the bed and landing next to startled Amy who was standing awkwardly on the cot, with a face of sheer confusion and stunned alarm. “Today is our first day of school!” I squealed.

   Amy moaned with emphasized displeasure and toppled over, snuggling back into her blankets.

   “Isis,” Denaé said in a croaky morning voice. “It’s like, five in the morning.” She rubbed her eyes. “We don’t have to be at school until eight.”

   I paused and looked at the clock. The room was silent.

   “Oh…” I said, embarrassed. “How about we get up at six-thirty?” Denaé responded by laying back down, while Amy mumbled playfully, “be quiet.”

   I hopped back into bed and wiggled into my blankets. I would have to wait one more hour…

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   “Isis!” A panicked voice hissed harshly in my face. “ISIS!” I quickly sat up as Denaé leapt back.

   “Whaaat?” I yawned. Denaé scowled at me. “You forgot to set your alarm again after you woke up at five! We are going to be late!” She said. With a yelp, I leapt out of bed to get ready. For real this time.

   We ate a quick breakfast, brushed our teeth and fur, and lastly got into our snazzy outfits.

   I decided it would be a little weird to go to school on our first day wearing something super fancy, so I decided to go with my regular outfit. Plus, being super fancy all the time just… was not me.

   I put my pink flower crown on my head and adjusted my long pink spiked collar. I opened the closet and slid out my pink elf bracelets and worn blanket. Once all that was on, I fastened my elf tail around my tail. I was almost ready to go!

   I quickly helped Denaé find her cream flower crown, the one that matched her beige cape, before packing up some important items from my room. (Like my favorite clothes, some makeup and perfume, toiletries, and other special things.)

   While I was yelling at Amy and telling her that no one would notice her chipped toenail, there was a firm and loud knock on the door.

   “I’ll get it.” Denaé whispered, stepping nervously to the door. When she opened it, there was a tall male horse. He was wearing a silky tux with a fancy bow tie, his eyes concealed behind dark shades.

   “Hello,” He began in an extremely deep voice. “I am here to take you guys to Silver Moon Academy. Are you ready to go?” Denaé stared at him awkwardly. “I- we… almost, I think?” She turned to me and I nodded. “We just have a few more things to grab!” I informed the stallion. He nodded and took the doorknob, saying, “I will be outside. Please come down as soon as possible so we can head to the school.” I nodded as the door shut.

   “Alright, ladies!” I shouted as soon as I heard his hoof steps vanish. “Let’s move!”

   After a few more minutes of packing, I made sure everyone had everything they needed before shooing everyone out the door and locking it with a satisfying click. I quickly patted my door, even though I knew it was weird. See you soon!

   We raced down the stairs, carrying way too many bags all at once, and outside the door where we were greeted by an elegant silver and royal blue carriage.

   The Arabian horse took our stuff and put it in the back, before going to the front of the carriage and attaching himself to it.

   “Ready to go?” He asked us in his deep voice. We rushed in and sat down, squealing softly with excitement. In the middle of the cart was a table with a twisted silver pole spiraling from its centre. There were fancy tea cups already filled with tea waiting for us.

   “This is so magnificent! Such perfection.” Amy remarketed, pulling out a fan from her purse and flicking it open with grace.

   “We are ready to go!” I called to the horse who, with a whinny, took off in the direction of the school. As Amy, Denaé and I sat on the velvet seats, drinking our tea to the clip clop of hooves, we talked excitedly about our new school year and all the adventures we would soon encounter.

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   After a while of riding through Jamaa, the path changed from smooth roads to bumpy cobblestone.

   I poked my head out of the carriage window with a gasp.

   “Oh, Amy! Denaé!” I cried. “Look!” I pointed at the ginormous castle-like school up ahead.

   The beautiful academy was completely made from perfectly white stone. The tall turrets had cone-shaped roofs made from deep sapphire-blue shingles. It was such an enchanting sight.

   The gardens were full of beautiful rose bushes, roses with deep velvety crimson petals. The gardens also contained pink and white bleeding hearts, bloodroot and blue bells. The lawn had grass so green it looked almost like part of a dream stretched across the school grounds.

In the middle of the cobblestone roundabout was a stunning stone fountain that spewed crystal water from its top, sending a lovely spray into the warm air.

   “Oh.” Denaé sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes twinkling as they reflected the rainbow-tinted light caused by the fountain’s spray.

   “This is absolutely magnificent!” Amy cried. She held onto her violet beret as the breeze toyed furtively with it.

   After a little longer across the stony path, we arrived at the entrance of the school. The Arabian horse driver opened the door and helped us out.

   Before us was a dramatic staircase of perfectly polished stone that looked like glistening quartz. Tall pillars, smooth and white like ivory, stretched into the air, holding up a massive balcony on the next level. The academy’s large oak doors were opened wide, welcoming the newcomers.

   “There will be a meeting shortly in the Academy’s Main Hall.” Our driver said. “You will have time to unpack later. I will bring your stuff to your rooms and for now, you all should get to the meeting.” I dipped my head at him. “Thank you!”

   Amy was the first to begin her ascent up the extensive staircase. Denaé and I followed close behind, excitement bubbling within us like a pot of water about to boil over.

   We entered the building to see an enormous room bustling with different animals. The floors were a polished marble and more of the pillars decorated the room, this time to the sides. On the other side of the room were two staircases and a hallway in between them that lead to another room.

   To the right of the main chamber was another hallway, symmetrical to the one of the left.

 “Oh dear.” I whispered. The school was bigger than I thought! How were we ever going to find the Main Hall in time for the important meeting?

   “Excuse me,” Amy blurted out, stepping towards a slouching snow leopard who had dark side bangs and a backwards cap.

   “Do you know where the Main Hall is? See, we just arrived and…” She was interrupted by the loud chime of a bell. We all looked up, startled.

   The snow leopard turned back to Amy, not meeting her gaze. “Uh. Follow me.” He muttered, turning to the left and padding towards the hallway.

   We followed, and so did a lot of the other animals in the room. The bell must have meant that the meeting was going to start.

   Our group walked into a giant cafeteria before turning again and entering a large, dark dome-shaped room full of seats.

   Front and center in the area was a stage, lit only by a single spotlight. Amy, Denaé and I sat down together in one of the rows of red, velvety seats.

   The messy sounds of voices quickly died down as an icy blue and white fox wearing a long, glittering dress stepped onto the stage and into the spotlight. She picked the microphone off the stand and turned to face us.

   “Welcome, everyone!” She said, her voice carrying the slightest hint of a British accent. “I am Headmistress Marie, the founder of Silver Moon Academy.” Her voice echoed throughout the darkness.

   “We are very excited to start a brand-new year at Silver Moon. As a matter of fact, this is Silver Moon’s first year of being open! Mira Academy had so many students, that another school was required.” She paused and smiled. “Our new school actually attracted many of the students from Mira's, and now is the most popular school in all of Jamaa!” She turned her head and stepped to the side.

   “Now, before we get into class details and school information, you are going to meet your teachers and fellow students.” That was when a white and grey tiger wearing a simple, tight black dress stepped onto the stage.

   “Hello everyone!” She called in an especially cheerful voice. “I am Mrs. Harris, the secondary headmistress. You will see me a lot around the school, and I am here to help all of you so if you ever need anything feel free to talk to me!” She said, smiling and stepping back out of the spotlight. The students began to clap.

   One at a time, each of the school’s teachers went up onto the stage to introduce themselves and explain their course. I slumped down in my seat with a sigh. This was going to be a very boring meeting…

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It was a very painfully boring hour and a half before Headmistress Marie stepped back to the mic.

   “Let’s give a round of applause to our lovely teachers.” She said. All the students, with absolutely no enthusiasm, began clapping.

   “Now you are going to meet your peers. I understand there are many of you, so you will meet the ones close to you and meet other animals later. Talk to the animals in the same row as you to begin with. State your name, some classes you are looking forward to, and a random fact about yourself.” She waved a paw in the air. “You may begin.”

   Once again, chatter filled the air. No one from my row spoke up. Then a few seats away from me, a white arctic wolf with brown face and leg fur stood up. She smirked at us and tossed her head.

   “I’ll start.” She said. “My name is Evica.” She had light coloured eyes, almost white. On her head was a red flowercrown, on her neck a ring of gold. She wore a crimson sweater and a gold ring on her paw. This girl obviously came from a rich family that obviously spoiled her…

“This year I am most excited about taking fashion. My mother says I have a natural taste for the best getup, and I make my own clothing all the time.” She fluttered her thick eyelashes, looking down at her nails.

   I rolled my eyes. Could this girl be any more stuck-up?

   “Hmm.” She tapped her lip. “Oh and a random fact? I got to be at the Queen of Jamaa’s coronation because my mother is a friend of some of the royal family.” Some of the excited listeners gasped.

   “Queen Natalie’s coronation?!” One girl sucked in a sharp breath. “You are so lucky.”

   The black and white arctic wolf that was sitting beside Evica stood up and added, “Just being at the coronation is nothing. Evica got to help design the royal dress!” He smiled at Evica as all the girls oohed and dropped lower into their seats like melting candles, their eyes dreamy.

   “Oh please.” The brown and white arctic wolf scoffed. “Being at a coronation is nothing! You poor common animals…” She looked down at us with pity, but deep in her blizzardy eyes I saw burning satisfaction.

   Out of the corner of my eye I saw Amy roll her eyes before speaking up.

   “I can see that you are obviously a very important arctic wolf, Evica.” She began, tossing her feather scarf over her shoulder. “But wasn’t it Lady Jade who got to give the Queen her gown? Why didn’t you get to? Perhaps you are not as… needed as you seem to think you are.” Evica let out an undignified squeak. “How ignorant!” She hissed. “I could outshine all the royals any day!”

   Several of the girls blinked with shock. No one disrespected the royal family.

   I quickly stepped in, seeing that this whole conversation was going downhill fast. “Okay, my name is Isis. This year I am most excited about learning biology.” I heard Evica snort. “Biology is for boys, and what kind of a name is Isis?”

   I ignored her and continued. “A random fact about me is that my mom is one of Jamaa’s top spies while my dad is a detective. They teach me a lot so if you ever need a mystery solved, come ask me!”

   Evica rolled her eyes. “Yeah whatever…” She turned away and fluttered her mascara-covered eyelashes at the arctic wolf beside her, who smiled half-heartedly back.

   A few more of us shared a little about ourselves. I found out that the black and white arctic wolf was named Rune, and was just about as snobby as his best friend.

   A few minutes later, the Headmistress tapped the mic to get our attention. “I hope you all had an enjoyable chat, and maybe made a few new friends.” I snorted and I saw Evica glare daggers at me out of the corner of my eye. 

   “Now before we go any further, some of our teachers are going to come around and hand out the school’s uniforms. These uniforms are only required once a week on Full Dress days.” Marie dipped her head at Mrs. Harris who grabbed a box labeled “Girl Uniforms: Small” before heading down the first aisle.

   “On Full Dress Days, there will be a meeting in here for important announcements. Your class schedules and calendars, which you will get in a minute, will explain all this to you.”

   We waited as our uniforms were delivered to us, and while Headmistress Marie explained the school rules, evacuation plans and safety policies.

   Miss. Blaire, the fashion teacher, passed down our row with a box of medium sized uniforms. I took one of these and unfolded it as she continued down the line. The uniform was a tight, white blouse with a blue satin skirt. It had a silky silver ribbon wrapped around it and tied into a bow at the back. Over the blouse was a white sweater, a line of buttons down its middle…

   “Oh no.” I whispered. One of the sweater’s buttons were loose. “Excuse me?” I quickly said. Miss. Blaire was already too far down the line and didn’t hear me. I felt Amy tap my shoulder.

   “It is okay, Isis.” She whispered. “I can sew it back for you later.” I smiled at her. “Thanks.” I whispered. “You’re a great friend.”

   Once all the school rules and policies had been reviewed, and once all the uniforms had been given out, Headmistress Marie told us to head to the cafeteria for a late lunch, before going to our dorms to unpack and get settled in. Later we could come back for some snacks before bed.

   “If you are not sure which dorm is yours, I will be handing out some school maps on your way out that you can take.” Marie finished, stepping off the stage and walking down the isles.

   “You are dismissed!” She called. Evica stood quickly up and grabbed onto Rune's arm. “Come on.” She sniffed, stepping quickly out of the row and butting in front of a lemur who was leaving the row next to ours.

   Amy, Denaé and I left as well. We picked up a map before grabbing a few tuna sandwiches and walking to the grand entrance.

   “Okay.” I said, opening the map and squinting at it. “Let’s find our dorms.” The map showed that the school had two floors. Our dorms were on the first and were in the East Wing of the school.

   “Our dorms are just through the foyer to the right of the grand entrance.” I told my friends. We padded across the room and into the East Wing of the school.

   We were greeted by the noisy calls of animals saying bye to each other, rearranging furniture, unpacking, and opening and closing doors.

   “Girl dorms are up and boy dorms are down.” I pointed up the hallway. “Our room is up here somewhere. It is number 12.” We began padding across the soft carpet towards our room.

   “18, 17, 16,” Amy read the room numbers. “15, 14…” Suddenly number 13’s door opened and Evica stepped out, nearly crashing into me.

   “Ugh!” She hissed in disgust. “Watch where you are going, twerp.” She growled at me, jutting her neck forward. She was a little bit shorter than me, but no less intimidating. 

   “I was watching where I was going. It was you that jumped out of your room like that.” I shot back. I was tired of this girl already.

   “COMMONERS!” She spat with disgust. Evica pushed past me and strutted back down the hall, her snout in the air.

   “What is up with her?” Denaé asked, watching with a displeased face. I sniffed and stepped forwards, pulling out our dorm key which was given to us by Marie when we got our map. “Who knows?” I replied. “And if we are commoners, what does that make her?” I slipped the key into the lock and turned it with a click, shrugging.

   We entered the dorm. The room was brightly lit. To the left was a massive walk-in closet, where all of our bags had been dropped off. Beside it was a large vanity. There were already a few bottles of perfume on it and some lipstick. Ahead of us, was a big window with a large ledge right under it. The ledge was covered in blankets and pillows, making it perfect for sitting and watching everything going on outside.

   To our right, were three queen-sized beds with lacy blankets. Thin, silky curtains draped over the mattresses. Everything was so beautiful, the room could have been in Queen Natalie's castle! 

   “Oh.” Amy sighed. “Oooohh.” She walked over to the windowsill and looked outside. “This is simply marvelous!” She cried.

   Denaé went over to the closet and opened one of her bags. “We should get unpacking.” She said. I nodded but first went over to the vanity. I looked at myself in the shining glass with a smile. I could tell that this year, school was going to be something special.

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Wow! Evica sure is something…

 Isis, Amy and Denaé have finally arrived at Silver Moon! Stick around for the next chapter to find out what mischief they get into during their classes!

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**note, this lovely chapter was written by Nop. Zoe only uploaded it for her :)