Young Writers Society

Clockwork Spies

The Clockworth Academy is a prestigious institution, immediately recognizable by its enormous clocktower. But although the clocktower serves as a public landmark in this city-on-a-bridge, the academy is far more mysterious, open to only the rich and powerful-- and the cunning. In fact, out of all the academy students with their potent abilities, perhaps the most successful are those skilled in the arts of deception and guile, which are fitting qualities of a clockwork spy. But as political tensions rise between the upper and lower classes, it may turn out that the most valuable trait of all is something far more honorable...

Crew/cast:
@Spearmint - Kaolina Trelaine (Kay)
@TheMythMaster - Leonard de Gwenaëlle (Arc)
@JasmineFelicia - Sam Kroshneshitsky (SK)
@Haileyg21 - Percival Steele (Percy or Civ)
@JamesPeterson - Araden Scopulus/ Tev Ilidar

Sam woke up with a yawn just like he does every day. It was nearly impossible for him not to yawn, as sleeping was a very very enjoyable thing to do, and so a yawn was, essentially, his body begging for more sleep. Thankfully he never had to deal with the cold everyone dreaded when they woke up. This was, of course, due to his power. The power of warmth. He didn't quite know how to . . . turn it off, but, hey, it was a nice power. And that's why he was here. . . at. . . . magic school.

Sam had expected that going to the academy would awaken his powers. Or. . . . make them useful. Y'know, like other powers. He figured that they were useful in some rare situations, or maybe for comforting people, but the fact was that his powers were simply not really particularly necessary. . . Heh. . . He was thinking of dropping out after the next project assigned to him. Right now, he was taking the place of a kid who might actually be able to use this opportunity. Then, on the other hand, dropping out would waste the painstaking money his family had put into this. Ah. But that was a dilemma for another time.

The current dilemma was, what to wear. That was a common dilemma. Dress in a cool looking sweater and possibly die of heatstroke, or wear a t-shirt all the time. He almost always opted for the t-shirt. As tempting as the sweater had looked, it really wasn't worth it.

After that decision, he raced to the cafeteria. It was. . . Exactly 8:30 am. So it was safe to say that Sam was running late. By exactly 30 minutes. That happened a lot too. As previously stated, he liked sleeping. Y'know. . . Dropping out didn't seem half bad when he took into consideration that he might be able to actually get some sleep at home. . . . Man did he miss home. But the cafeteria food was good, and as he munched down on some granola and yoghurt, he let his mind wander. He did wonder what project he'd be getting next. He hoped it'd be something exciting, and it really might be, what with the rumours of a possible sort of 'special forces' team made with a group of the students here floating about. Ooooo. . .maybe spy missions, or assassinations, or being able to sit in on extra secret meetings to keep officials safe. . . Or maybe they'd just be doing more on-site things, like engineering weapons and transport. Who knew. Sam just hoped he was one of the lucky kids chosen.

Soon the yoghurt and granola was all gone, and he decided to see if he had any homework missing, any assignments unfinished. . . . Unfortunately there was a lot of those. But hey! On the bright side, that might mean that he wouldn't have to even drop out. They'd just kick him out! And then- And then he'd go home to a group of very disappointed individuals. But what did they expect? His power was making warmth. There wasn't a lot you could do with that. . .

517 words

A lonely cart wound its way through hilly countryside. The cart was simple, with only two wheels and the excess weight being taken by the ox. Inside two passengers and the driver were kept out of the cold wind by a cloth covering. One passenger wore a straw hat over her short brown hair, oversized jacket and a simple tunic, the other’s clothes were obstructed by a cloak which he clutched only harder as another cold breeze wiped across the low hills.

“So where’re you ‘eaded this fine morning?” The girl said sarcastically

“Clockworth” the cloaked one- whose name was Leonard- muttered

“Ah!” the girl said with a hint of awe “Clockworth, so you’re one of em eh? Heading to the bridge city” she sighed “I’d rather be going there, you see I’m just heading back to Steam Valley”

“Heading back?” Leonard asked

“Aye, I was only visiting me grandparents in Fairhaven, now its back to the farm, and apples, and carrots….potatoes, carrots and apples…” she trailed off before regaining her curious approach “and you? What was your business in Fairhaven? If ye don’t mind me asking?”

“Oh, not at all” Leonard answered, he was feeling rather happy about the girl joining his cart, he had imagined the journey would be far more gloomy when it had only been himself.
“It’s my home- was my home I suppose, my father was the blacksmith, and I've been working at an inn since he, well” Leonard trailed off,

“Packed up an’ left one day did e? Aye, it happens to a lot of people these days, sad, truly” She branched from that slightly morbid note to a story of how her great uncle had left home when he was twelve to start a circus, or join ships crew? It was some such non-sensical that was strange enough to easily be true. Meanwhile, Leonard felt his rings pulling at him. Yes I know I was somewhat misleading he thought, but it wasn’t exactly a lie, was it? Besides she had thought of it on her own, why not let her believe what she wanted? His rings disagreed and he finally realized his mistake.
“He- he died” he blurted out, cutting into her story. It set an awkward pause into her story, which she quickly abandoned, as she realized what he meant.

“Oh, I'm sorry, I shouldn’t ‘ave assumed so, I’m sure ‘e twas an honorable gent” she said

“Yes, he said he used to be a knight in the city. I’m sorry as well pray continue story” He thought of his father, it had been so much easier to follow the code when he was around, know Leonard was on his own, the rings were the last thing his father had forged and he had given them to Leonard, who had fortunately understood their- his power shortly before his father's death.

“Ah no point now I could tell you weren’t listening anyway,” the girl said

“Oh, thanks for not being mad”

“Not a problem. So you said your dad was a knight?”

“He said he was, only recently did I begin to wonder if they were more than stories.”

And so he journey continued peacefully as the two talked, Leonard told about how his father had been a knight in the bridge city, he and his fellows had followed kept the code, a duty that had been passed to Leonard now, he didn’t mention his rings though, he wasn’t sure why. His father had left the city years ago for some illusive reason that he had always been told he would learn when he was older and, the age that his father had been when he became a knight, however his father's illness and early passing had prevented that. Soon they came to Steam Valley, it was a small farming town and few remembered why and how it got its name the girl was only just getting into another story when the cart stopped.
“Oh goodness I fear I must go, well it's been a good trip I'm happy I had someone nice to spend it with!” she jumped out and sprinted across the street and out of sight and Leonard's call never caught her.
“Wait! I didn’t catch your name!” he said to thin air, it seemed she was surprisingly fast when on foot.
He waited only a few more moments before wondering why the cart hadn’t started forward, evidently, the driver had fallen asleep, a few taps on the shoulder remedied this and he awoke woke with a yawn.
“Oh yes we’re here well just wait in the cart or you can come I ye like” and with that, the driver got out of the cart rather unsteadily and started on his way over to a nearby inn.

“Wait, but aren’t we continuing?” Leonard said running over to the man his hood falling off in the process revealing slightly curly short white hair, he hastily covered his head though before the driver saw.
“Eh we’ll continue in a bit, I’m in no rush to get to the city, one oh me mates owns this inn I’ll just pop in for an hour or two, you can come if you like”

“No thanks,” Leonard sighed, he certainly was in a hurry, he had to get to Clockworth before sundown, and now he’d have to walk the hardest part.
The Mountain Pass.

With heavy feet but a courageous heart he set off at a brisk pace down, or rather up, the road.
Soon he was so deep into the mountains that the sunlight was nearly blocked out, and the road had narrowed to naught but a path, no wonder most went by airship he thought, he had never travelled and the cost to take the ferry seemed awfully much to him, he was regretting that now, however, as he thought of how relaxing it must feel to be weaning through the canyon floating like a cloud with the steady thrum of pistons in the background.
However, after a few hours, he did finally round a turn and come upon an incredible sight.
There it was the great city on the bridge! it looked enormous and he knew he was only seeing par the widened into a large clearing up ahead and two giant pillars rose on either side of what became a street lined with houses that could have been beautiful manors if not for the fact that they were so tightly packed, the pillars looked almost as though they were carved out of the mountain itself however he could tell they were made of metal, the kind of engineering and metalworking ti would have taken to create them Leonard could only imagine, out of the tops of these pillars steel cables went up even higher so that Leonards gaze was brought to the giant clocktower.

He’d made to Clockworth at last.

Word Count:1,150

Kay

Some random person had given Kay a handkerchief again. Of course, Kay wasn't complaining-- it was a rather nice, clean handkerchief-- but it did get a bit tiring to have kindhearted strangers constantly trying to comfort her. Her thoughtful expression didn't look that sad, did it? Kay frowned for a moment, then shook the thought away and returned her attention to the menu that she'd been perusing before the handkerchief lady had interrupted her.
Hmm... I tried the maple cake last week, and red velvet the week before that... how about lemon raspberry this time?
Smiling at the prospect of trying a new cake flavor, Kay informed the bakery worker of her choice and received a delicate slice of lemon raspberry cake. She wrapped the edible piece of happiness in the stranger's handkerchief-- hmm, it came in handy after all-- and walked out of the bakery.

Kay nibbled on the cake as she strolled back to the main street of the city, where her chaperone was waiting. Kay's parents were rather overprotective, insisting that Kay and her sister take a servant along whenever they were out of the manor. Lucy was the least strict of their three maids, and therefore was the one Kay usually preferred to take along-- sometimes she seemed more of a relaxed older sister than a chaperone.
Today they'd stopped by the bakery, though the main reason for their outing was to check out the Clockworth Academy. Neither Kay nor her family had been sure what to make of the cloaked stranger who'd arrived on their doorstep a few weeks ago, holding a letter of acceptance to the Clockworth Academy. Sure, Kay had seen the massive clocktower in the middle of the city before (who hadn't?), but she'd never considered that actually attending the academy was an option for her, especially considering she hadn't trained with her ability in years-- in fact, she'd barely used her ability since... since Jaclyn had disappeared. But regardless of the reason for her acceptance, she'd decided to attend-- it was a famous academy, after all. And besides, it meant she'd be able to escape the abysmal food from her previous school.
Kay grimaced, remembering the soggy bread and lumpy brown soups that had been frequent lunch items. She quickly shook those memories out of her head, smoothed down her blond-streaked-with-violet hair, and smiled as she approached her maid.
"Are you ready to go, miss?" Lucy asked.
"Almost!" Kay quickly finished off the cake, savoring the lemony twist and juicy raspberry, and tucked the handkerchief into a side pocket of her dress. She shaded her eyes and glanced towards the center of the city, where she could see the hands of the giant clocktower about to strike ten in the morning. And as the chimes rang out with their full, commanding tones, Kay and Lucy headed towards the academy.

"These gates are... hmm. No offense to the builders, but they're just... gosh, there's no nice way to put it. They're... really ugly. The swirls are overdone and distracting." Kay frowned at the intricate patterns of the front gates of the Clockworth Academy.
"I suppose that's one way to put it." Lucy considered the gates for a moment. "Actually, I rather like them-- if you look hard enough, you can see miniature buildings and airships among the swirls. And-- ooh!-- there's a clocktower here, too. These gates are a work of art!"
Kay wrinkled her brow and shrugged unconvincedly, turning her attention towards the academy itself. "Ah, but those buildings are a lot better. Look at that dome! And the fancy towers and buttresses. The architecture looks so elegant yet powerful, which is fitting for such a prestigious school." She smiled. "You know, I bet the buildings have a ton of secret passages."
Lucy turned towards Kay and raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you learn your lesson when you crawled through the manor's servant hallways and got lost? We spent hours searching for you!"
"Hey, that was when I was seven! Besides, I never said I'd actually go into those passages. I'm a young lady now, right? And like Mother says, 'young ladies don't go traipsing around getting their dresses dirty,' do they?"
"Hmm." Lucy eyed Kay skeptically. "Somehow, I don't believe that particular lesson of your mother has yet to stick in that brain of yours."
Kay pouted jokingly. "Oh, ye of little faith! Don't you worry, though-- I'll send letters to assure you of my ladylike-ness and how I'm absolutely not crawling through secret tunnels." Kay smirked, though her playfulness faded as another thought entered her mind. Her expression grew pensive, some of the sadness that had prompted so many strangers to reach for their handkerchiefs creeping into her eyes. "I just hope I won't be forced to use my ability too much."
Lucy paused, then wrapped Kay in a hug and said, "It'll be okay. You can come home anytime, you know that?"
Kay nodded and smiled gratefully. "Mm hmm... you're right, I'll be fine." She took a deep breath. "Hey, how jealous do you think my little sis'll be when I tell her about all this?"
Lucy looked amused. "Plenty jealous, I'm sure. Shall we head home and regale her with all the details?"
Taking a final glance at the grand buildings and towers of the Clockworth Academy, Kay nodded and turned around to start walking back with Lucy.
But even as she walked, she couldn't keep all the worries from her mind. School starts in three days... I hope I'll enjoy it. The letter was pretty vague about the exact subjects I'd be studying, but such a prestigious academy must teach something worthwhile, right? Okay, deep breaths, Kay. Everything is gonna work out. Yeah... I'll keep telling myself that until I believe it.

968 words

Tev’s stomach was turning into a knot the size of a watermelon. He could barely comprehend what was happening, what he had to do. Outside his rotting excuse of a door, Tev could hear an argument. That certainly didn’t help.
The Outlaws were always arguing, but today held an especially heated discussion.
“...he can’t do this! He’ gon’ blow thi’ whole thing to obliv’n, and we’ gon’ git crushe’ un’er them smug a-holes’ fancy boo’s!” a gruff voice came from beyond the door. That would be Ulden, Tev’s ‘uncle’. A large, burly, and quite loud man that seemed to get joy from picking on Tev.
“Ulden, he’s–could you stop smoking for five seconds!?--he’s got a Knack. In fact, one of the few Knacks that may be able to pull this off. Now, I know he’s young, but-” the response came from a graceful, but firm voice that marked his mother, Jennisa. She wasn’t his actual mother, but she had claimed the title when he’d been brought into the Outlaws as a child.
“He’ ‘ofter thar a baby’s behin’, an’ ya kno’ it!”
Tev covered his ears to drown out the borderline yelling.
He was going to Clockworth, of all places. It made his stomach twist more, just thinking about it. But there was a small amount of excitement. Clockworth was legendary even outside of Pipemire/Sinderhollow/Gearfall/idk, and he was going to go there.
Granted, he wasn’t going as himself.
Tev glanced over at the limp boy that lay on the floor in his room. His fine clothes were ripped and grimy, and his soft face was bruised and cut.
So much for looking noble, and all that, Tev thought.
He’d never really met someone else his own age, so meeting Araden was quite exhilarating. Not that he actually got to talk to him much. Ulden and the others had taken him away and Tev could sometimes hear screams. They stopped yesterday, now that they got what they wanted.
Jennisa had formed a plan as soon as she got her hands on that small letter Araden had hid so well.
Tev would take Araden’s place at the most renowned school in the world. He scoffed when he heard it, and laughed, and told her not to joke around. But she showed him the letter, and told him the plan, and now… now he still didn’t believe it. He simply accepted it.
His door suddenly creaked open, and Ulden stepped in, looking angry.
“Get up, kid. You’ve got a city to raze.”



Araden ald Scopulus, prestigious child of Ren and Marthen Scopulus, stepped off the puffing train and onto a platform swarming with a hundred people. He wore a black waist coat over dark trousers, with a top hat set on his head.
Tev-no, Araden-stood in awe, looking at the city that sprawled before him. He’d caught glimpses of Pipemire, but this was something else.
Suddenly, an unknown hand fell onto his shoulder. Araden jumped, and snatched at the top hat falling from his head. The hand belonged to a scrawny looking fellow that had similarly fancy clothes to Tev. Well, Araden.
“Need to work on your reactions, kid,” a bony man murmured. He had a hollow, sunken face, and looked to be grinning. He mostly just creeped Araden out.
“Uhm. Sorry. Are you…”
The man chuckled, “I wish pigs could fly.”
The passphrase. He was one of Jennisa’s associates here in the city.
“Uh, yes, good. I’m… I’m Araden Scopulus, uh, nice to meet you,” Tev said nervously, holding out his trembling hand.
The man grasped it with his cold fingers, “The name’s Basten, Basten Sootcloud. I reckon that you’re heading to Clockworth, then?” It seemed more of a rhetorical question, so Tev did not say anything.
Basten looked him up and down but finally shrugged, and guided him with a hand on the shoulder away from the train.
“Pretty neat gift you got there, kid. You look darn soft, just as yah should. Can you… do other things? Looking like someone else is already neato, but maybe you need a distraction or somethun…” Basten talked quickly as he pushed Tev through the throng of people.
They stopped quickly at the luggage area, and grabbed Araden’s suitcase.
“Uhm. I can… I can see the future. That’s my gift. Pre… precaugh? Pre…”
Basten leered at him again, “Precognition, kid. You might wanna learn some fancy words if you wanna pretend to be an ald. Won’t make it two steps into Clockworth without it. But at least you're committed to the act.”
“Ah… Uhm. Sorry,” Tev murmured.
Basten led him through a door and out of the station entirely. Tev gaped at the numerous buildings and chimneys all seeming to stretch for miles. It was just so… massive. He didn’t get time to enjoy the view, however, as Basten shuffled him down the street to black, sleek stagecoach that awaited them.
No, not them. Him.
Another chuckle from Basten, “Kid, you gotta learn to act bored. Like nothin’ matters. Especially since you’re not going anywhere around here. Keep your mouth closed, and your body still,” the pale man murmured his last advice as he pushed Tev inside the coach. He tossed the suitcase up into his lap, and gave another unsettling grin.
“Uhm. Bye… Basten. Thanks for the advice.”
“Just what I was paid for, kid. I reckon I’ll be seeing you soon enough…”
With that, Basten closed the door and the driver gave a crack of his whip as Tev sped off towards his inevitable destination. A terrifying, but so very exhilarating destination.
Clockworth Academy, school for the gifted, the rich, and the powerful. It was quite the prestigious opportunity.
If only Araden’s true identity was never revealed as the traitor Tev so horribly knew he was.

968 Words

Percival Steele

Percy wasn't all that sure if going to clockworth was a genuine way to assist the lower class. Coming from a higher-class family he was taught that he held more power than other people but that he should never use it to maintain power for himself. His parents had titled upon him one morning to his surprise and told him that he'd be heading to part of the best magic schools. Clockworth was highly adored in his family after his oldest went to the school.


With his head held lofty Percy roamed the streets of the eminent Bridge city. An immense clock tower shined in the sun production his white and blue clothing more noticeable. The air held the smell of bread and other foods as he walked through the place until the schools gates faced him.

The gate adorned the schools look. Held with a majestic ideology, looking at it for the first time composed Percy amazed


Few students stood around as Percy walked. Many looked to come from lower families. Others held their heads high with a sense of dominance. The higher class...... Percy never quite understood why parents taught their children to detest the weak. As he walked through the school few peaked at Percy. May it be his blue and white cloths or his Steel gray eyes that pierced their souls, they appeared to be unable to look away. 


Suddenly two girls ran in front of Percy. 


"Lani! Lexi! You guys could have messed his cloths up! Stop that!" A tiny girl yelled running up to the other girls.  


Percy smiled lightly at the girls and said," it's ok. I don't mind. I'm Percival Steele nice to meet you" with a bow he awaited their answer. The petite girl looked shocked before nodding to the other two


 "I'm Luna. This is Lani and Lexi! We're sisters. Sorry for bothering you". Percy gave them a bedazzling smile and held out his hand. Around the four people watched to see if the noble boy would hurt the lower. Luna slowly put her hand into his and shook it.


  " It's truly not a bother. I was taught to respect others like I would my own family. Let's be friends!" Percy tried to be open like he was taught but cringed as he spoke. Lexi gave him a skeptical look before speaking, more so to her sisters. "Let's go. An Ald would never want to be friends with A Carn." She dragged away her sisters before Percy sighed. 


Many refused to trust Alds thinking they would steal or kill them. Alds political power was high, but none truly respected them. As a response to the hate many Alds hurt the people below them. But the Steele family Choose to act equal to everyone. At least they tried to. Many working under them took advantage of this and in the end Perry's older brother died. Had Percy done something differently Hadley would be here with him. 


Perry's sudden gloomy feeling shocked those around, and They crowed closer to him. Emotional Alds weren't seen often. More so emotions could lead to a power fizz. Each close to the boy tired to calm him as he zoned out ignoring them. His mind raced with memories of his brother until someone grasped his hand shaking it lightly. 


A tall thin boy shook his hand and said,"I'm Jason Moore " the boys name shook Percy. "My gift is called Time teller. Let's be friends!" Moore's uppity personality made him want to grin. Moore held a childish look in his eyes with A darker tint hiding behind it.

The group around took this as a sign to leave and fled the scene. "It's nice to meet you Moore. Honestly I must be going. I have to find my dorm and get to the cafeteria to eat. Thank you for helping me. Goodbye" Percy had completely brushed off Moore's offer.


 As Percy walked away Moore's faces turned to a scowl. "Dumb child. God, why does he have to be difficult! Mother couldn't have given me a better target." Moore's voice flowed through the air. 


Percy made it just a round the corner before hearing Moore's words. Ryan, Percy's other brother warned him of time tellers. A gift that came from a line of Assassins. But in all that's what Percy was here for. To be a spy, and assassin or just to perfect his gift. That's what this school was for had he been unprepared he would have fallen for Moore's introduction and fallen down the wrong path. He wouldn't fallow that path. Not after Hadley had fallen to its evil. 


His mind churned a little as a cold wind brushed his back. He ignored the burning feeling the wind caused as he continued to roam. This was the adored school. The magic school that hid more than its fair share of secrets. Percy held his breath as he got a view of the main buildings. The majestic builds hardly showed the true beauty of this school.




832 words

Tev stepped onto the cobblestone street and gaped at the towering walls before him. Made from cut stone, and perfectly pristine, Clockworth looked like a home for gods or kings. Tev knew he was certainly neither of those things, and the thought made his stomach twist even more.
He hurriedly grabbed his suitcase and rushed to the line of students already walking into the gates. The gates were just as grand as the wall, if not more. Golden and intricate, they showed the clear divide between the classes. One side for the rich and powerful, and the other for the… normal people.
The knot in his stomach was replaced with anger.
His entire mission came flying back into place, and he strode through those austere gates briskly. Tev made sure to look as self-important as possible. Head up, chin high, sneering at those around him.
It was rather difficult, since he was normally timid. But he had a job to do.
Walking forward, he stopped again, and stared up at the centerpiece of the Clockworth academy. A massive clocktower, gleaming in the sun. It’s hands looked exquisite even from the ground, just like the rest of it.
But it was about to strike noon, and so Tev grimaced and hurried onward. Unfortunately, as much as he had blocked out all the people in the courtyard, one stepped in front of him. It was a girl with light brown hair and large eyes. She had a skirt that swayed in the slight breeze.
And she was gorgeous.
Granted, Tev hadn’t seen too many girls throughout his life. And then those ones were covered in grime and dirt, skinny and emaciated. This one was… perfect.
He stared at her as if she was the clocktower he’d done the same thing to just a moment earlier.
“You look new!” She grinned and held out her hand. The smile made Tev’s anger disappear and be replaced with a mixture of anxiety and some strange warmth. He shook her hand sweatily and briskly.
“Uh… uhm. Yes! I am new. I am… an Ald too. Uh… Araden…Scopulus,” Tev cursed himself internally. He hadn’t talked to girls too much, but he knew he was doing a bad job of it.
The girl giggled, “Nervous? It’s fine. I was my first day here too, but you’ll do great! And yes, I could tell you were rich and fancy, Mr. Scopulus,” she said his name with a mocking tone, “But I’m Aleria! Just wanted to say hi, and welcome you to Clockworth!”
“Er… Thank you very much.”
Aleria smiled again and then skipped off to some other girls. They began giggling soon after, glancing in his direction. Tev blushed, then cursed himself again. Araden was certainly a good looking fellow, Tev knew that. But it seemed as if they were interested in him. They weren’t though. And he reminded himself of that several times.
He was Araden Scopulus on the outside, but down under, he was a scared outsider.
Tev finally made it into the wide double doors that were at the end of the courtyard. He took his first step into Clockworth proper. The hall was so grand it almost didn’t make Tev gape because he expected it. But every time, the city seemed to amaze him.
He finally closed his mouth and took a deep breath.
Then suddenly, there was someone in front of him. They were cloaked, and had evidently taken great care to conceal themselves. Tev jumped, and stepped back.
“Uh… Hi. I mean… Good morning.”
“Administration is down the hall to the left. You don’t show your true face in the mirror, right? Yeah, yeah, so don’t worry about that… hmm,” the person seemed to be talking to themself somewhat. They had a voice that he couldn’t place as masculine or feminine.
Maybe he could have figured it out if he didn’t feel like vomiting.
“Uhm. I am Araden Scopulus, I don’t know what you mean by true face… stranger.”
The person didn’t move but Tev could tell they were judging him, looking him up and down.
“At least you’re committed. I swear, there was something else…. Oh! Watch out for some kid named Arc. I don’t know why. That’s all you said.” They spoke with a matter-of-factness that made Tev know this person was not messing around.
“Uh… what?”
“You’ll figure it out,” they said, then faded away, until Tev was staring at an empty floor. Kids shuffled past him, some giving weird looks, considering he had been talking to nothing.
Finally, he made himself move. Down the hall and to the left, they had said. If that was true, maybe the thing about… Arc? Was true too. He found the Administration office quickly, and prepared to fully join Clockworth.
The knot in his stomach had never been larger.

806 words

Kay

There were so... many... people. Kay's eyes widened as she passed through the Clockworth Academy's gates (which were as garish as the first time she'd seen them) and into the busy courtyard around the massive clocktower. Granted, she'd seen far larger crowds on the city streets, but these students were... different. They were powerful, and they weren't afraid to show it.
Kay stared as one girl flared fiery wings that flowed from the back of her coat. Next to the girl was another student reclining on thin air, flipping leisurely through a novel. Glancing at the other side of the courtyard, Kay goggled in amazement as a boy caught beams of sunlight and wove them into a ball, which he tossed upwards at the clocktower. A few seconds before impact, the ball appeared to run into an invisible force field, and it shattered into a million sparkles as the students around the boy clapped.
Feeling a bit intimidated by everyone around her, Kay decided to hurry towards the far end of the courtyard, and she turned her attention to the courtyard tiles as she went. The tiles were arranged into ripples of metallic color, with an occasional tile that was more detailed than the others. Kay saw a stylized sun on one and some kind of bird on another. Goodness, even the tiles are excessively fancy...
The school reminded Kay of her grandmother's manor, one of the castle-like buildings that floated slightly above the rest of the bridge city. Grandmother always had a liking for luxury. I bet she would've fit right in at Clockworth. In fact, I'm beginning to suspect she pulled a few strings to get me here... The thought made Kay frown. It makes sense though; other than Grandmother, my family's not that wealthy, and I'm certainly not as powerful as all these students. Grandmother's Knack, on the other hand, is deceptively influential-- this would've been child's play for her. Hmm, I suppose an agreeable apple pie could have done the job, or perhaps a believe-me-I'm-right banana bread. Kay's frown deepened, and she hardly noticed as she entered the open double doors into the front hall of Clockworth Academy. But then, if it's true that Grandmother's responsible for my acceptance, that means I really shouldn't be here. Are there consequences for this sort of thing? Or-- oh dear, am I robbing another student of their opportunity to attend Clockworth? Lost in thought, Kay didn't stop walking until she ran into a door.
The door was unamused. "You're another new one, eh?"
"Huh? Oh, um, that's right. This is my first year at Clockworth..." Kay looked around curiously, but could see nothing but the closed door she'd just bumped into. "Who are you? Is your Knack invisibility?"
The silver doorknob in front of Kay rattled derisively. "I'm a door. Obviously. Honestly, I don't know why I bother explaining anymore..." The fine, dark wood creaked in an imitation of a heavy sigh. "Short answer is, I've been enchanted by a professor whose Knack is bringing objects to life. Anyways, you'll be wanting the Administration office, back down the hallway."
Kay looked at the door with new respect. "Fascinating... I had no idea someone could do that! Well then, thank you for the directions, Sir Door."
"Heh... Sir Door, I like the sound of that. But run along now, orientation should be starting shortly, and you'll want to get your forms filled out with Administration before then."
Kay nodded and started back down the hallway.

The forms were pretty simple, and Kay managed to finish them with half an hour to spare before orientation. Wondering what to do next, she glanced down at the papers detailing the logistics of attending Clockworth. Hmm, there isn't much information about classes in here either... except there does seem to be some kind of ability training course. I wonder if it's possible to get a pass on that? I haven't teleported anything larger than an orange in years. But moving on... There's history too, like usual, but it's... history of espionage? Interesting. Also diplomacy... well, I suppose that's useful for people of the upper class, considering all the politics that go on up there. Kay kept flipping through the papers and eventually landed on another page about roommates. She gulped as she read through it. I hope I'll get a nice roommate... Kay looked up as the clock chimed 12:45, then made a quick decision and started hurrying towards the housing area.
The dorm that Kay was assigned to was relatively simple-- though for Clockworth, that still meant a grand stone building with carved windows and a double-doored entrance. Kay eased one door open and slipped inside, then walked down the hall to the staircase. As she went, she heard laughter from one room and felt encouraged that there were good pairings, but then a girl with lightning bolts shooting from her eyes stormed past her, sounding like she was cursing her roommate with some kind of ancient hex. Kay anxiously twisted a strand of her hair as she climbed the stairs to the top floor. Panting a little, she paused for a moment outside her door, then knocked.
The door immediately swung open, though at first Kay couldn't see who'd opened it. She peered into the dimly lit room and squinted until her eyes adjusted. She saw a cleanly furnished area with two beds and desks, and right beside the door she suddenly noticed a brown-haired girl who seemed to blend into her surroundings. Kay blinked, feeling like the girl could disappear at any second, and when she spoke, Kay nearly jumped in surprise.
"Hello there. You must be my roommate." The girl scrutinized Kay with large, dark eyes. "I do believe we'll get along well, as long as you respect my privacy, and as long as you don't disturb my spot at the top of the class."
Kay nodded, intimidated by the girl's quiet confidence, then found her voice and blurted out, "But how can you be at the top of the class if school hasn't started yet?"
Kay's roommate's lips curved into a smile, though her eyes remained serious. "Something to keep in mind here, Kaolina Trelaine. Never underestimate your peers."
The girl offered an arm to Kay. "Now then, shall we head to orientation?"

1055 words

Linda Markev

Professor Linda Markev adjusted her silver-rimmed glasses and sighed. She shifted the weight of the scrolls in her arms and knocked briskly on the door of the principal's office.
"Who is it?" a voice called out.
"It's me, Linda. I have news about... minutes. Seven and a quarter."
"Ah. Come in, then."
A sound-dampening rune inscribed on the door frame glowed white as the professor opened the door silently and stepped inside. Professor Markev placed a scroll on the principal's oaken desk and said, "There's been a disturbance again-- mostly Ezin, some Carn. Not quite hour level, but the seventh district is rather prominent."
"I see... Are any clockwork crews available?"
Professor Markev shook her head. "Most of the alumni are out-of-city, working on city alliances. The senior students are busy keeping an eye on the upper class, and we've already dispatched four teams to deal with the hour-level rebels. I believe asking any more to deal with such a minor threat would be seen by them as demeaning." She glanced respectfully at the principal and asked, "Shall I keep an eye out for talented first-years? If assigned as a group project, it may serve as a handy measure of their abilities, while also helping us secure the lower districts."
"Excellent idea. Make it a competition-- then we shall see who comes out on top."
Linda nodded, then produced another scroll from the bundle in her arms. "One more thing... there was a tiny aberration in the clocktower's chimes last night. No one would have noticed it unless they spoke with the tower's Maintainers, but the midnight chime was a twelfth of a second late."
"Most curious indeed." The principal steepled their fingers together. "Keep in contact with the Maintainers and report everything directly to me, with utmost secrecy as usual."
"Understood, Your Highness." The professor shifted the scrolls in her arms.
"Now, if that is all, Linda, you may be excused."
Professor Markev bowed quickly and ushered herself out of the room.

Linda's boots clicked quiety on the marble floor of the hallway. The students should be arriving soon... I ought to give my classroom a final once-over. Oh, but first, I need to drop these scrolls off at the library...
Professor Markev hurried to the main library and handed her scrolls off to the librarian without pausing to admire the architecture as she usually did. The main library had always been her favorite building on campus, even before she'd figured out how to enchant the ceiling trapdoor to give her access to the roof. The only problems with the trapdoor now were that it insisted on giving a riddle to anyone who wanted to pass, and Linda hadn't figured out a way to get it to stay loyal only to her... whenever she tried, it harrumphed and said that "access to the glorious outside should be open to all." Oh well, it wasn't like people regularly attempted gaining entry to the library roof. And Linda would figure it out eventually.
Now, however, Linda straightened her glasses and efficiently made her way to the Information Security classroom. Encryption machines... textbooks... parchment and quills... everything appears to be in order. Professor Markev straightened some desks and pulled back the window curtains, letting sunlight drape the room in a hazy golden glow. She dusted her hands off and surveyed the room with a satisfied smile. Another year, another group of students... You've got this, Linda. Make it the best year yet. With that, Professor Markev spun on her heel and strode out of the classroom.

Orientation was held in the large auditorium as usual. Professor Markev stood by the wall and examined the new students with a critical eye. Well, I suppose we've got the usual groups of show-offs, privileged children, and hopefully some dedicated students scattered in there... Next to her she overheard two professors betting on which students would drop out by the end of the year, though it was nearly drowned out by the sound of nervous chatter from the students.
Once nearly everyone had settled in, the lights dimmed and a spotlight flicked on, illuminating center-stage. After a dramatic pause, the principal stepped into the light with a welcoming smile, and the auditorium reverberated with the applause of the professors and students.
When the applause died down, the principal declared, "Welcome to... Clockworth Academy!"

The great clock tower stood tall as a monument to the great school that controlled the town, it loomed above everything so no matter where you were you could easily find the school, if you were ever lost the only thing to do would be to make your way to the school. Is that good or bad? Leonard wondered. The smaller hand on the clock moved to the large VII and several bells of various volume and tone sounded, or perhaps there were many bells ringing at once from all over the town all connected to the single clock, it was certainly possible Leonard thought as the sound rang around him.

After a few minutes he realized he was already lost, it was odd how the streets curved and winded going every which way except straight, almost as though you were expected to get lost simply so that the tower was the only thing with which to put your faith in for a sense of direction. Leonard had asked a young apprentice the way to Clockworth when he came in he had chuckled and pointed down a street, it hadn’t looked to go in the direction of the school but then none of them did. As he sat down on a nearby doorstep he began to realize how hungry he was. If it's seven o'clock I must’ve spent the night in the mountains. He thought it had been hard to tell the time with so little sunlight but he realized he had missed breakfast and had no dinner the night before.

After much difficulty, however, he did manage to find his way to Clockworth. He approached the large wall that ran around the building. A large gate decorated with wood carvings was the only way in and two sentries stood nearby. Leonard approached one of them and asked about how to enlist and they said to go straight through the courtyard and ask one of the men in the booths.
The courtyard was pretty though a little drab as though missing some life, there was no one about and it was easy for Leonard to pass along the path and come to a large door, on either side of which were two booths each with a man in a green tunic lounged, one had his cap over his head and appeared to be sleeping so Leonard went to the other.

“Are you enlisting?” he asked

“Aye” was all Leonard had as an answer. You should really start saying yes, he told himself inwardly. He really wasn’t sure what else to say, he didn’t know much about the school and he wondered if he would appear uneducated if he asked too much.

“All Right here fill this and ill open the door for ye’ when you go through use the map on the back and make yer way to the housing office, they’ll give you a room and set you up with whatever you need” He handed Leonard a paper and pencil with various questions for him to fill out.

1: DO YOU HAVE A POWER &/OR SPECIAL ABILITY?:

Leonard felt this question was a little unneeded, who would go to the school if they didn’t?

2: AGE:

3: height:

The rest continued in a similar fashion with simple questions about his practical needs and such.

After handing it to the man in the booth the door was opened and Leonard started to head through.

“Hey, why do you need two booths?” he said to the man “I’m the only one here and I haven’t seen anyone else who was going this way?”

“Oh yer early” the man replied

“Wait a week you’ll see just how packed this place gets”' the other man said, he had woken up from the small conversation between Leonard and the other man. “It’s incredible the number of people who don't have any kind of skill let alone a power who come through trying to sneak in and learn to be heroes or whatever, and the kinds of stories they tell are insane sometimes, whenever you're feeling bored come down here and we’ll tell you some crazy stories.”

“Though we may not be ‘ere for long remember,” The first one said turning to the other, then they lapsed into a conversation about talking doors, and theirs is the last gate to enchant, it sounded slightly outlandish and Leonard wondered what they meant.

Leonard thanked them for being so friendly and proceeded down the hall toward the housing office, which He assumed would be where he would get assigned a room to stay. He paused for a moment when he realized he would probably have a roommate which unsettled him quite a bit.

He soon was directed toward a room in the west wing of the school, from his room he couldn’t tell if he was two stories up or three but he felt high. His room had two windows, which was nice on against one wall was a bed with a small desk at the head near the window, and a closet near the foot of the bed. All this was mirrored on the other side of the room which meant to Leonard's disappointment that he would indeed have a roommate. Trying not to think about this however he put his few possessions away on one side, he finished as the bells of the city rang out in union eleven times, and Leonard left his room with his map to find the cafeteria.

As it turned out Leonard was a week or so early and the school didn’t officially start for a fortnight.
And so he spent his few days of freedom exploring the city as much as he could and finding out little things that would help him seem less of a tourist.
He quickly found a wonderful little bakery where he would often go to eat when he was tired of the city’s smell of smoke and needed a bit of hope that there was still a way to smell the country.
He also figured out that the city was divided into twelve districts, he had been in the first one when he entered the city and so far had explored four, five, and six.

Soon though the first day of school came and Leonard saw what the gatemen had meant, from his window he could see the courtyard was packed, although he couldn’t see the men, students seemed to just be talking to the door which then let them in.
However he didn’t have time to ponder this and rushed to the main hall where orientation would be held, he had intended to get there before too many people arrived and it seemed he had succeeded only a few early comers occupied the seats, the seats filled quickly, and soon the principal walked onstage.

“Welcome to... Clockworth Academy!”

1,140 words

Small post for Percy!!!

While the majesty of the school amazed him Percy focused on getting to the Oriantation. After that he would find his dorm. Strutting through the halls Percy came soon the oriantation. As he walk into the area he heard " Welcome... To Clock worth acadime! Now students we know your all excited to get to your dorms, meet your roommates and soon your teammates. So well keep this short".

Percy stood near the door listening before blanking what she was saying out. This was all normal stuff. By the time he finally let the world come back to him the principle was walking off stage. Percy's eyes wandered over the other students before spoting his least favorite person. Moore. Percy quickly turned to leave. He went to the administration building and spoke to the lady at the front desk. "Fill this out with your information and you'll get your dorm number" she told Percy with a snotty voice.

The questions were simple. Name, age, power.... Etc. Percy was done quickly and handed the snotty lady his paper. "Your dorm in *** your roommates name is Sam Kro.... Kroshneshitsky..... Er I think that's it. What ever here. "

Percy sighed lightly taking the paper from her and quickly went to go find his room. As he walk he noticed many people were walking to their rooms or loudly talking. But none got close to him. He continued through the large halls to his dorm where he found the door slightly ajar.

He knocked on the door and slowly pushed it open. A boy stood inside. The boy turned to Percy with a large smile. "Hey! Are you Percival steele? Well I'm Sam!" Percy cringed slightly. "Its Percy or civ. Nice to meet you to! Sorry I wasn't expecting you to know my name".

Perry's shoulders tensed before he felt someone standing behind him in the hall. He quickly turned. A small shift in the light helped Percy see who was 'hiding'. Moore and Lani stood together. Their eyes widened as he stared at them. " what are you looking at? Is someone there?" Sams voice cut his glare fest off. "Ah nothing just some bugs." Percy hated lying to people but he didn't want to bring anyone into his drama.


375 words

Sam smiled widely at the boy who had entered the room. Percival was a really cool name. He could think of many possible stories that would go along with that name. Sometimes he wished that he had a cooler name. Sam was not a very exciting name, much like his power was not a very exciting one. The boy stared at something behind the door, but when his inquiry about what it was met with the answer "bugs" he decided not to ask more. Maybe the boy suffered from hallucinations. He had heard of people like that before. Because there were certainly no bugs in the dorm rooms of Clockworth. . . Right? He hoped so. He wasn't very observant but he really hoped there weren't any bugs because that would be disgusting. . .

He quickly plopped down on his bed, then grinned at Percival, "I hope you don't mind that I chose my bed before you. I don't really like sleeping on the tops of bunk beds." He shrugged a little, then stood up and stretched, walking across the room, "I also chose the two bottom shelves of the dresser." Then Sam turned back to Percy and grinned more. "I really hope that you brought your own bedding. I don't think the extra ones they have here get washed very often." Then he got closer to Percy and just stared at him, wondering what his power was. You see, the problem with staring was that Sam often did not notice that it got uncomfortable for the other party after a while. So he continued to stare and narrowed his eyes at the boy. Had the boy come from slums as he himself had? Or was he well off. Or maybe he was just in the middle. Sam decided that he was probably somewhere at the top. Considering the ring he had and all. Oh yeah. . . He frowned deeply at the ring, then looked straight into Percy's eyes, "Percy Civ, what's the ring for? Is it special? Sometimes people get betrothed really young. Is that what that is? Betrothal Ring? Also what class are you? Syhf? No- Ald? Cuz if you are that's a personal insult to me."

It was indeed a very personal insult to Sam. Why in every steam-producing, gear-turning machine would they put a Dul with someone who was so much higher in ranking. It made no sense whatsoever and was completely stupid. Because who ever thought they would agree with each other? I mean, initially, Sam had decided he liked the boy, but when, upon closer inspection, he was just a stupid high ranking kid. . .Well. . . He didn't think Percy Civ was really worth much anymore.

Sam turned his nose up at Percy and tsked, "I'll teach you what true manners are. You probably know nothing whatsoever about how actually being human works." His mom had told him all sorts of stories about how inhumane higher ranking people were. It was scary. He shook his head, still unable to believe that they had put him with this child.

509 words

Kay

"Soo..." Kay hesitated, fidgeting with a strand of her hair as she leaned against a wall of her dorm room. "What's your name?"
Kay's roommate turned around in her chair and leveled a hard stare at Kay. "Just because we walked to orientation together doesn't mean we need to be best buddies now. So quit the small talk."
Kay shrugged. "Yeah, but it's just common courtesy to address people by their names, don't you think?"
"Hmm. Alright then, Kaolina, see if you can find out what my name is."
"Huh? A-aren't you going to tell me?"
The other girl rolled her eyes. "That'd be too easy. This is a school for espionage, after all. Show me what you can do."
Wait... espionage? As in, spying? No way... Kay flashed back to the course list. There was some history of espionage class, but is this whole school really for... spies? Or spies-in-training? Kay wasn't sure how she felt about that. On the one hand, being a spy sounded exciting, but there was also the question of who'd they be spying on, and whether Kay would be any good...
Kay's roommate must have noticed her clueless expression, because she scoffed and turned back to the scrolls at her desk. "Don't talk to me until you've at least found out my name."
Kay thought that was rather rude, but now she really was curious about her roommate, and the school. She wandered out of the dorm room, lost in thought. A spy school explains the secrecy about what exactly people study at Clockworth Academy... Did Grandmother know about this when she pulled some strings to get me in? Hmm... if she did, does that mean she wants me to spy on someone? Nobles, maybe? Or maybe she didn't know, and she just thinks I'm going to a prestigious academy... Kay shook her head. Well, I won't worry about that for now. Alright... where would I go to find out my roommate's name? Kay glanced around her, and her eyes landed on the administration building. Aha! They must keep records of roommates there.
Kay walked to the administration office, pausing to admire the sculpted trees and bushes along the way. Every inch of the campus really did seem to ooze luxury and wealth. When she arrived at the front desk, she smiled nervously and said, "Hello. My name's Kaolina Trelaine, and I'm wondering what my roommate's name is?"
The lady working at the desk peered at Kay over the rims of her bejeweled glasses. "You should have received your roommate's name along with your room number, dearie."
Kay frowned. "I don't recall being told her name."
"Ah, then that must mean your roommate requested that her roommate not be informed of her name."
Students are allowed do that? Huh. "Well... could you just tell it to me now?" Kay looked up hopefully.
The lady tapped her fingers on the desk. "I'm sorry, hon, but we don't give out that kind of information to just anyone. Do you have a way to verify that you are, indeed, Kaolina Trelaine?"
Kay frowned. Why wouldn't she be herself, unless-- "Wait a moment," she blurted out, "Are there shapeshifters here?"
The lady looked at her rather patronizingly. "That's classified." She turned her attention to a leather-bound book in front of her and said, "Well now, it appears that Kaolina's ability is telekinesis. So..." She glanced at Kay expectantly.
"U-uh..." Kay tugged at the bracelets around her wrists. "I don't..." She sighed. "I don't really like using my ability."
"I see." The lady raised an eyebrow. "In that case, I'm afraid there's not much I can do."
Kay nodded in disappointment and turned away. But before she was able to exit the office, she heard another student approach the lady and start talking. She couldn't help but overhear part of the conversation.
"Good morning, Ms. Sarilla!" the other student said cheerily. "I must say, your glasses are looking especially shiny today. And did you do something different with your hair?"
Kay was skeptical at the outright flattery, but she stepped out of the office and hid within earshot, just in case this student had more success with their query. After a few minutes of lighthearted small talk, Ms. Sarilla asked about what the student wanted, in a much friendlier tone than when she'd talked to Kay. As Kay listened, she mentally jotted down what the student said, and marveled at how they'd gotten Ms. Sarilla to open up so easily.
With those lessons in mind, Kay walked down the hallway to test them out on another subject who might know where roommate information was stored-- the talking door.

779 words

Orientation had been in Leonards's opinion rather pointless, after a few pleasantries and welcome words, the principal explained the purpose of the school, its goals and such, however, despite many details she managed to remain rather vague and He left with less of an understanding than before he had come.
He had attempted to leave quickly after it finished however apparently so had everyone else and he was obliged to stay in his seat in order not to be trampled by the rush of students, after things calmed down he got up and headed for the door nearer the stage, he knew this would lead him into the courtyard and he wanted to go look for the two sentries, surely they will give me some answers he thought.
However, his thoughts were rudely interrupted as he left the door he heard footsteps and not wanting to be questioned for what he was doing he ducked behind a large pillar near the door.
Out of which came the principal, and before he got over his surprise, he felt his rings heat up and begin to squeeze his fingers -it was all he could do to hold them and try not to make a noise, luckily the principal passed by him without noticing and walked across the courtyard entering the school through another door.

His hand still tingling Leonard walked down the halls thirty minutes later, his search for the two men had failed, and now he was beginning to notice with unease how many people now occupied this place, he couldn’t even duck into a small passage without finding someone else had already found its usefulness as a shortcut. And so he made his way up a few flights of stairs, to what he now knew as his third story room, the quiet will be a welcome change he was thinking as he opened the door and walked in.
Immediately jumped back bumping his head to the wall at the sight of a young man sitting in the bed opposite him. His hands shot up to hold his pounding head and his thoughts were racing as he realized his rings had stopped tingling and were hurting again.
“Uh hello? Are you my roommate?” Leonard asked, very confused. Can I trust anyone? He thought trying to hide his pain by clenching his fists behind his back.


394 words

The talking door idea... did not go particularly well. First of all, it appeared to have been napping (did doors nap? Well, perhaps they rested), and Kay waking it up didn't improve its mood much. Then Kay tried to compliment how shiny its handle was today, but she mustn't have sounded convincing enough, because the door just waited impatiently for her to be done talking.
"Now then, what do you want? The only time students talk to me is when they're looking for information."
Kay looked down guiltily and said, "Well... yeah. Um. I was wondering if you knew how to find a list of roommates? I don't know what my roommate's name is, and she doesn't want to tell me, so..."
"Hmph." The door creaked in annoyance. "Students these days... they expect me to know everything just because I'm a door that can talk. Not true, I say!" It seemed to glare at Kay for a moment, then said, "You should talk to administration, or wait for your teachers to call attendance in class."
"I already talked to administration, and I don't think I can wait until class starts... is there anything else I can do?" Kay fidgeted with a length of string tied around her left wrist.
The door sighed. "I suppose you could snoop through your roommate's belongings to find something with her name on it, but I don't recommend that option. Beyond that, I can't think of anything else you could do. Anything legal, I mean."
"Alright... thank you for your time!" Kay smiled gratefully at the door.
As she walked away, the door called out, "I mean it! Don't go snooping through your roommate's stuff now! Or if you do, don't tell anyone it was my idea..."
"I won't!" ...tell anyone it was your idea, Kay added internally. Or invade my roommate's privacy. I might go snooping through a teacher's papers, though...



Percy found sam interesting, wild and unlike people he'd met before. After his discovery of percy's ring his mood took a one eighty. Had the boy have a distaste for the higher ranks like the others? Had Percy himself angered the boy with his status?
Percy refused to let it linger in his mind but instead chose to scope out the school. To explore the secrets he knew it would hold. The vast halls and dead ends, classrooms and offices ensured it. All though his older brother had told him much of his time at the school, he hadn't told him everything. The stories of secret halls, rooms and even old exit tunnels racked percy's brain. Where they were, that was the question.
What Percy enjoyed the most was exploring large structures for their secrets. Hidden rooms, cupboards hiding valuable information and the occasional treasure room. Those were the best. Usually filled with money, gold or creepy old paintings. Percy was in it for the paintings though. They held a time much different from the one he lived in and held an insightful amount of detail about those time periods.
His mind wandered with ideas of what would be in the places he found. Perhaps they would be boring classrooms but it didn't hurt to check them all. His eyes ran along doors as he passed many were shaped, colored and designed the same. A small swirl design which told him much of what these rooms were. The swirl told him these rooms were the main classrooms and that they were in use often.
As Percy walked he noticed that one door was different. It was at the end of a hall that looked like it was rarely used and needed to be cleaned up. Its design was very different from the others. Unlike them it was a mechanical door with gears showing. Its copper color and gears showed age and rustic design. Probably a few years old with gears looking to be made thirty years prior.
His eyes sparkled with excitement as he grew closer to it and took in its craftsmanship in. It reminded him of an old Emmeline Wraithwood, A famed genius at building machines, build. But like most of her works there was one thing that made it easy to unlock without the key. Under the biggest cog there was always a latch that opened the door. Percy had encountered it plenty of times before in his own home.
The sheer size of the door was also an abnormality as its width and height has several inches on the other doors. As Percy shifted the latch and pushed the massive door open he heard a slight jingle of someone moving nearby.



There were so many doors... Kay hadn't realized that actually finding her classrooms would be a problem, but the sheer number of identical doors was astounding. She looked for classroom 102A, which was apparently the Cryptography classroom, and eventually found it (after around half an hour of wrong turns). Kay tried turning the doorknob, hoping she wouldn't accidentally interrupt a teacher preparing for their class, but it was locked. Hmm... should I try to pick the lock? But I've never done that before, and I have no idea how to... Kay tried jiggling the doorknob a few times, in case it was just jammed, but the door stayed stubbornly shut. Hmm... maybe a different classroom? A classroom is where I'll find student information like attendance sheets, right...?
As Kay stood back, pondering the door, she heard a faint sound of footsteps down the hallway. She looked around worriedly, wondering if it was alright for students to be wandering around like this. As the footsteps grew closer, Kay decided not to take any chances, and she hurried in the opposite direction of the noise.
Hmm... this hallway looks promising. Kay turned down a dusty hallway, then stopped abruptly. Oh... it looks like someone's here already. Um. Kay debated whether to leave and find a better hiding place. But she could hear the footsteps growing louder, and they were too confident and measured to belong to a student. On the other hand, the rather short boy in the hallway didn't look particularly intimidating. (Though in Clockworth Academy, Kay knew that appearance didn't mean much.)
Making a snap decision, Kay hurried over to the boy, who was about to enter a giant mechanical door. "Hi! I'm Kay. I think there's a teacher coming, so I'd really like to use wherever's behind that door to hide. Would you mind? I won't take long."

(1,081 words)