Lyan
I had just finally reached my apartment complex after spending almost all the day out waiting for the perfect time to commit the robbery and I was busted. I couldn't think of anything besides getting into bed and not getting up until well past noon and since I had finally obtained a clue I could afford to do just that.
As I reached the old door that led to my apartment I suddenly had a gut feeling that something was very wrong. I felt as if someone was watching me and all my hair stood on end, but when I turned to inspect the old corridor there was nothing there besides some water from what I hoped were leaky pipes and trash bags from the neighbors that they always swore they were going to throw out later but never did.
After staring at the corridor for some time I finally convinced myself there was nothing there and slowly stared walking towards my door. Once there I picked my key from my bra, where I always kept all my cash and important stuff, and unlocked the door.
As soon as the door was unlocked I quickly went up inside and locked the door again. After that I looked for my mistreated big oak desk, one of the few nice things in my apartment, and put it against the door.
"That's better. At least I don't think anyone will be able to break through with sheer force"
Taking my favourite black fur jacket off I walked towards my bedroom, which really was only a very small closet like space where I had a bed, and I took of my boots and my socks and dropped into bed.
Jack
I was about to be done with my patrol when, out of nowhere I felt a sourge of magic power coming from a house located nearby. As soon as I felt the power I started running towards it.
" Just what I needed, unauthorized magic use. Why must criminals always act so late at night? They could commit their crimes in the middle of the day, but nooo, they must do it when it bothers the most"
After reaching the street near the house I halted and looked around, searching for any traces left by the magician, or magical creature, I couldn't tell just by the little magic they had used earlier.
I finally found the trail leading from the second floor window on the house onto the street below.
"Interesting" I muttered. Now I knew for sure the caster was a criminal. If this was his home he would have gone out through the front door.
The trail continued until it reached an apartment complex, but by now it was so faint that I couldn't tell where it led, but just in case it suddenly got stronger I entered the complex and looked around while hiding behind a pillar and sensing for the magic trail to no avail. All I saw was a girl walking to an apartment and a few nosy neighbours watching through their peek holes.
"I'll came back tomorrow. I promised them I would be back in time for beer pong and I really don't want to miss it"
I started turning around and decided it wasn't worth my time, so I simply texted the dean, the old, grumpy lady who had sent me on this stupid reconnaissance mission as a punishment for being caught drunk and naked on one of the bathrooms.
"It wasn't even that bad. I've done way worse. That woman loves to punish innocent boys"
The next day
Lyan
I woke up to someone knocking on my door and immediately knew something was wrong. Nobody ever knocked on my door, ever. I didn't have any friends or even acquaintances and that meant this sudden visit could only be a bad thing.
I quickly put on my discarded jacket, socks and boots on and turned to the only window on this tiny apartment.
' Well, at least now it's the first floor' I thought.
I tried to turn the window's handle to leave but it didn't turn and I realized it also had a closing magic spell on it. Damn, I was trapped, now I had to decide if I hid beneath the bed, which was not the best idea, or if I tried to talk to the person outside.
Carefully, I approached the door and looked through the peephole only to find a bald middle-aged man waiting with infinite patience for me to open the door, but what caught my attention was the 6 pointed star insignia he wore on his jacket. That was the symbol of the magical institute.
' I'm fucked, if he's here then he knows I'm a magician...'. Magicians were rare and powerful, so much so that the institute had created special academies for mages and now forced us to go there to learn how to be a productive member of society, or so they said. I scoffed thinking about it. The academy was all about power and about keeping the new, young mages under their control.
I didn't want to go there, especially because it wasn't near where the document said the gem was, but now that that man was there I had no other option but to go. Resisting would only make it worse.
I once saw a mage who resisted lose their magic, drained by the institute, and the scary part was that every agent of the institute carried a bracelet like object that could drain any mage of their magic forever, and I definitely didn't want that. I may not have used my magic very often, but it was mine.
Groaning, I began to open the door when I realized something. I ran back into my bedroom, picked some bandages I had in case I ever got injured and entered the bathroom. There I picked the scissors and without thinking it twice cut my hair until it only reached my ears. Then I wrapped my chest with the bandages, took of my bra and put my jacket back on.
" This should do" I whispered while looking at the dirty mirror.
As I walked back I straightened my back and opened the door. The man there showed no signs of been annoyed. He just reached into his pocket and took out an odd looking gem. A gem that shone different colors depending on the angle the light hit it on. A magic gem, capable of detecting magic.
" Please put your hand in here" He said without emotion.
As I did the gem started shining brightly and the man immediately took me by my hand and said.
" You have 5 minutes, pack your things, we're going to the academy"
As soon as he let go of me I picked a bag and threw inside a few necessities: my phone, a charger, some clothes, my toothbrush and some pads, which I hid, along with the panties, inside some Cheetos box I picked as a snack.
" I'm ready" I said.
The man left without saying anything else and I followed him. He led me into his car. A precious black SUV and told me to get into the passenger seat, so I did.
We drove silently for a while, trees passing by, mountains getting closer and closer until finally the man pulled into the driveway of an enormous castle, that a few centuries ago was reformed into an all boys academy. The reason why I was cross dressing as a boy.
For a reason nobody knew academies were separated into boys and girls and the closest girl academy was on the other direction. Far away from the gem's location, but this academy, if the document's information was correct, which I hopped it was, was very close to the area where it was hidden.
My plan was simple. Pretend to be a student, while secretly looking for the gem and once I found it I was gone. It was the perfect plan.
As I was in my world the man got off and opened my door, helping me get out. Carrying my bag I entered with him through the giant gates that led into the academy. We went upstairs, then left, then right, all the while encountering different students that ignored us as if we were invisible, which was fine by me. Once I was feeling like I would get lost we finally arrived at a door no different from the rest, but the man accompanying me knocked on it and left without saying goodbye.
"Rude".
"Enter" A feminine voice came from inside and I did. Once inside all I could see were shelves and shelves of books written in an strange language I couldn't read and on the middle of it all was a wooden desk with a petite woman on it. Her hair was wite and her blue eyes seemed to know it all. As she gestured for me to seat I wondered how much money all of this would be worth.
" Hello, my name is Dean Leila, if you're here it means you have magic"
' Yeah, no shit' I thought.
" From now on you will stay in this academy and learn to use your magic in the best way possible. You will need to work hard, as there are only a few places in this academy, but I'm sure you'll do just fine".
The hidden meaning behind her words didn't go unnoticed. It meant that there could only be a number of students each year and in order to reduce the numbers the competition here was brutal, and lethal, quite literally. After all the school accepted 300 students per year, but only allowed 50 to graduate, and the only way out was in a body bag.
" If you need anything don't hesitate to contact me". She said as she handed me her phone number.
" Now go along". As I was about to leave she said:
" And since they are so many students you'll have 3 roommates, I already now who they are, you're in for a fun ride"
' Great, now I have to plan how to get these boys expelled on top of finding the gem'
" And by the way" She added " The individual rankings are tied to the group one's. That means that if your roommates fail, or disappear then your ranking will drop too. I have seen very few students survive without all their roommates. Usually if one fails nothing happens, but if 2 fail everyone fails. Well, have fun"
As I was leaving I saw her moving her hand. Once in the hall I realized I didn't know where to go and the dean must've realized it too because she got close to me and gave me a small book and two pieces of paper.
" The student handbook, your room and your classes" She said before she left.
Clutching everything I started walking following the instructions and soon reached a door.
"Here goes nothing" I said and opened the door.