Post by Deleted on Jun 26, 2015 10:12:33 GMT -6
Ivy burst through the side door from one of the many exits in the castle. She leaned against the wooden door, trying to catch her breath. It was 4 o'clock of the first Friday of the school year, and the halls were chaotic, to say the least. Everyone was rushing to get out of the castle, whether to go out with friends to Snowy Vale, make the magical journey to a Muggle city nearby, go home for the weekend (if they lived close enough), or even to simply enjoy the early autumn weather. Even Ivy felt the relief of the end of classes for the week. This was her first week teaching, and while her classes were going well, she was still glad the week was over. All the time she spent in the greenhouses was for teaching purposes, not personal pleasure.
Taking a deep breath of the cooling afternoon air, she summoned the energy to move away from the door. She let her weary feet carry her wherever they would, each step giving her a little bit of rejuvenation. Connecting with the earth had always done that for her. She walked down the pathway, past the cultivated garden (though pretty and well-cared for by the groundskeeper Mr. Peace, it was simply for the eye; nothing peculiar or even that magical grew here), over the hills and green lawn that served as the campus quad, and into the trees of the dark woods. When she was deep enough in the forest, to the point where she couldn't see the school from where she stood, she let herself lean against a solid oak tree, sinking down to the ground for a rest. Here she felt at peace, in the dark, dank, and wild. She breathed deeply, pulling the dark earth's energy into herself.
She sat in silence for a long while, letting her mind calm itself and be at peace. She started at the sound of a twig breaking.
"Who's there?" she called.
