Bella woke up, panting. Her heart was drumming in her chest and she had a throbbing pain in her head. She felt hot and sweat clinged to her skin. Every move she made sent a jolt of pain through her body, like lightning. It reminded her of what had happened before she had passed out. The lightning strikes flying out from her body erratically as her hand clung to Aurelias' for some unknown reason, as though letting go would only make it worse.

"What just happened?" she panted, looking around the room.

"Don't speak dear; calm yourself." An Irish woman with pointed ears came by her side with a glass of water and held it to her lips. An elf, Bella concluded. "Here. Drink this, love."

Bella grabbed the glass of water and drank the entire thing in what seemed like one gulp.

"Those lightning strikes took a lot of you. You're very dehydrated dear."

She took the glass from Bella's hands and placed a pale hand on the girl's glistening forehead. The elf closed her eyes and a cooling sensation began to fill Bella's body. It eased her head pain to a dull ache, made the jolts in her body subside and the heat she felt all over her body disappeared.

Bella looked to the elf. "Thank you...for that."

"Of course, dear. It is my job after all, as school nurse. I'm Mauve."

"Bellatheibus Demure."

"I'm well aware love."

"How long had I been out?"

"One whole hour. It gave the staff quite a shock. Your friend -Lake was it?- came in as soon as we brought you here to check on you. A good friend to have."

Bella felt better knowing that.

"Do you know what happened to me? Or why my magic was so much more erratic than the others?" she asked.

Mauve sat in the chair beside her bed. She fixed the nurse hat on top of her head and smoothed down the white hair that was underneath it. "Well, I personally didn't pay too much attention to Elemental Projections class in school...or any of the ExtraOrdinary subjects really, besides Magic Chemistry and Crétuology. I preferred Ordinary Biology if I'm honest. But the one thing I do remember, is that reactions like that, is a sign of an Imagin." She smiled at Bella and then laughed at her shocked expression at this revelation. "Never seen one quite as powerful as you though. That means you have mighty strong magic inside you."

"Are there any other Imagins in school?" Bella asked quietly.

"About forty, I think. Eight of them other than you are Miracles. Only about four Imagins in your Form though, with you being the only Miracle."

"Any of them ended up in the Medical Wing afterwards?" Bella joked.

"Oh no. Sure they might have put on quite the show when they were being sorted, but they were nothing like you. You're pretty unique I'd say."

"Tell me about it," Bella muttered. First her parents don't seem to exist because people who were supposed to know didn't, and now, she has magic inside her so powerful that she destroyed some of the dining area and got sent to the Medical Wing. A magic, she felt, she was not capable of handling.

Mauve cocked her head to the side and stared at Bella quizzically. "You're not as excited I thought you'd be. If I had been told I was an Imagin, well I'd have run around the school in my knickers!"

Bella burst out laughing at the absurdity of the thought, her anxiety eased. The idea of this older woman running around half-naked was an appalling and hilarious image.

Mauve smiled when she heard her laughter. "Well, as school nurse I can safely say that you're a million times better than when you came in. Now up you get. Put on your shoes," she instructed.

Bella got off the bed and slipped on her sneakers.

"Wait, I sent out lightning, right? What House do I belong to then?"

"Oh, you're in the best House I'd say. Suprema: House of Lightning. They're known to be great leaders. They usually end up in Government. The House is an ode to Gard Marie Abrielle Dampierre, a powerful Imagin with a lightning core."

Although all this apparent power she had was an overwhelming thought, the fact that she was in such a good House that was a homage to Gard Marie herself did make her feel a tad more excited about it. Not completely, but a little bit.

Mauve guided her towards the door.

"Thank you, for healing me and answering my questions," Bella said.

Mauve smiled gently at her, very appreciative of her politeness. "Of course, dear. Just doing my job." She jumped up a little, remembering something. "I just remembered, Headmaster Grimm said she wanted to see you in her office, before she sends you off to eat your dinner in the Form One Common Room since the Dining Hall's been closed after...your incident. I'll lead you there since you're new."

Mauve nodded her head towards the door, beckoning Bella to follow her. They walked for a few minutes down the halls while Bella asked about the portraits and who they were, and Mauve readily answered every single inquiry the girl had. Eventually, they reached an intimidating arched black door. When Bella looked up, she could see the name "Headmaster Agnus Grimm" intricately spelled out in silver at the top of it.

"Looks like a door that would lead me to my death," Bella commented. "And why does the door have her name? Surely she hasn't been the only Headmaster this school has ever seen."

"Ah, yes. It does feel like we're about to walk to the other side doesn't it? And as for the name, it changes every time a new Headmaster is appointed," Mauve explained. She looked down at Bella. "Well, I guess I'll leave you to it. Goodbye Bellatheibus, I hope I don't see you in the Medical Wing anytime soon."

With that, Mauve smiled at her once more before walking off, leaving Bella alone at the door of doom.

Bella stared at it for it a few more minutes, before finally gathering the courage to knock. Before her knuckles could even touch it, the door gently opened. From inside, she heard Grimm say, "Come in, Bellatheibus."

Nervously, Bella entered the room. It wasn't large, but it was an adequate size for one woman, big enough to give her the necessary space a Headmaster would need. Every wall, but the one behind Grimm, had shelves of books, some of them so ancient they were covered in cobwebs. The ground had a fluffy, dark blue carpet and the ceiling was the night sky with yellow stars pulsing. Some of them were floating in the air, casting the room in a yellow hue. At the black desk was Grimm, who was busy looking through some files she had.

"Please, have a seat." Grimm did not look up at Bella and instead remained focused on what she was reading.

Bella took a seat in one of the chairs in front of Grimm. Bella looked up at the wall behind Grimm to admire the five portraits. The portrait featuring a woman with hair of gold captured her attention the most. She stared back at Bella with lightning in her eyes. Light poured down on her as she held a silver sword that gleamed in gold rays. She wore a poufy, white and gold dress and, to Bella, she looked absolutely ethereal.

"That's Gard Marie," Grimm said, interrupting her thoughts. "When I first came here at your age, I was captivated by it too. Most people are." She was facing the portrait, a far off look in her eyes and Bella could clearly see the admiration on her face. Then she whipped her had back around and her usual expression of discontent returned. "I see you're feeling better. You gave us all quite a shock at dinner." Her voice didn't sound very concerned at all.

"Um, yes. Miss Mauve healed me as soon as I got up."

"Good. I assume she told you what it meant?" Grimm asked.

"Yes. She said that I was an Imagin."

"And do you know what that means, Bellatheibus?"

"It means that I have a core more powerful than others...like Gard Marie had, and the other woman. The one that Miracles are named after."

Grimm nodded. "Ah yes, Miracle Stevens. One of the first students to attend this school when it was first opened by Gard Marie herself. A place where Miracles could learn magic as well." Grimm signaled Bella to look at another painting, one of a young Asian woman. Her piercing eyes glowed white as the wind around her swirled. "The House of Humilitatem was named after her for her humility, forgiveness, her gentle nature and her perseverance, which she had to have a lot of in her time, being a Miracle."

Bella's eyes then wandered to the other three portraits. She decided to be brave and asked, "And those ones? I'm assuming they have something to with the Houses too."

"Yes. The dark-skinned girl holding a sword of fire is Delancey Bolovin, the Demon Slayer. She currently has the highest kill count for Demons in the entirety of ExtraOrdinary. Back then, The Shadow Pit didn't have all the protection spells it has now, so Shadow Créturae were always on the loose. Daemonium was named after her ferocity, rage, warrior spirit and drive for justice."

The woman's eyes seemed to rage of a thousand fires as she lunged herself at an ugly, horned Demon.

Grimm continued. "The young man battling the Shadow named Maabda is Victor Chevrolet." Bella turned her attention to a man in armour who was ensaring the Shadow in vines and hurling a gigantic boulder at her. Bella looked closely at the Shadow, feeling as though she had seen that same image before. Grimm's voice cut through her thoughts. "He defeated her after what was her five-year long reign in this region of ExtraOrdinary. Maabda had actually managed to kill Gard Marie, his mentor. Salvator, the House of Earth, honours him by instilling values of hardwork, determination and a drive for success into its students.

"Lastly, there's Opportuna, based on Auravon Zaluci, killer of the ShadowMaids." His portrait featured him holding the head of a demented looking mermaid whose body was ashy and grey as he held a golden trident victoriously. "Persons from this House are strategic, logical and factual but are sometimes underhanded if necessary, and sometimes when it isn't. And after this feat, we started to allow students from the UnderWater School of Magic to join us for some of our classes and we would join them as well. It's educational, the experience. Tomorrow, you would be allowed to speak with them at the pond if you wish. It's an opportunity only available on the weekends however."

"Wow. There's so much history to this place and people to look up to," Bella said. "Were they all Imagins?"

"Every single one of them, yes."

Bella suddenly felt a weight on her shoulders. If I'm an Imagin, they must be expecting so much from me, she realised. What if I'm...not what they were hoping for? Her old fears that kept her from making friends started to come rushing back, threatening to drown her. Bella didn't want to feel this way, as though she was inadequate and a poser of some sorts, but she couldn't help it. She tried to breathe.

"Calm down, Miss Demure," Grimm said sharply. "I undertand that this title is one that puts immense pressure on a person, especially after those stories I told you, but no one expects this insanely high, legendary sort of success from you, or any other Imagin in this school. Especially not a Miracle who didn't know she could do magic until earlier today. Not all Imagins lead remarkable lives, because they don't have to. Some are teachers, artists, chefs...while others are warriors, ministers or even, as you just learnt, legends. What I expect of you, and every other Imagin and student at this institution, is that you try your best."

Bella stared at Grimm, shocked that the woman even attempted to soothe her nerves, albeit in her usual cold and sharp tone.

"But sharing legendary stories and lifting your spirits is not the reason why I called you here," Grimm said, getting them back on track. "I'm the Principal; that's not in my job description. Why I indulged in your wonder, I don't know. But here." She handed Bella a yellow lightning badge and tie. "I want you to wear those on Monday with pride, as all students should. And here is your schedule as well."

Bella took the schedule from Grimm's cold hands and read it. To her dismay, some of the subjects on her timetable were Ordinary, although they weren't as frequent as the ExtraOrdinary ones which was an upside she supposed.

"You would've gotten them with the other newcomers if you hadn't fainted," Grimm informed her. "Speaking of, I would refrain from Practical Magic Application if I were you. It might be better if you learnt the theory first. Your teachers should agree with me, although I can't count on it. Now, do you have any questions?"

"Yes, um, why do we still have Ordinary subjects?"

"Because, child, not everyone wants to stay in ExtraOrdinary or do ExtraOrdinary things with their magic, so its best to lay down some basics so that you lot don't look like utter fools in the Ordinary World. Now hurry up and get to your Common Room to eat your dinner."

Scrambling to her feet, she gripped her items and quickly went out the door that swung open for her. One second later, she popped back in.

"I do have one more question Headmaster. Where is the Form One Common Room?"

Grimm sighed and then instructed Bella how to get there.

∞

"Oh, thank Goodness, you're okay," was the first thing she heard as she entered the Form One Common Room. It was spacious and airy and instead of the usual black and white the rest of the castle had; the room was a variety of browns. There was a large sofa in the middle, and several tables with chairs surrounding them. There was fireplace that was lit, adding more to the homey feeling and above it was a television sized mirror that was currently playing a show Bella did not recognize.

Bella smiled as Blake wrapped her arms around her. "You really had us concerned there with all the sparks flying and the fainting and such."

Bella laughed heartily. "My bad."

"Yeah, what happened Bellatheibus?"

The question came from Piper of course, who was looking at her with concern and her trademark Piper curiosity.

"Apparently my core element was a bit too much for me to handle," Bella replied sheepishly.

"You're an Imagin, aren't you?" the question came from a tall, tan, brown haired boy. He had a small smile on his face, showing off his dimples. "A powerful one at that, more powerful than me I'd say." He got up and walked towards, confidence dripping from every step, his gold eyes never leaving her.

When he stopped in front of her, Bella could see gold markings on the sides of his face.

"Yes, I am." Bella felt uncomfortable under his gaze, and everyone else's as persons had turned their attention towards them. They all gasped at that knowledge and then clapped. Bella could hear whispers of "Of course she is" and "Makes sense, I mean did you see how violent her lightning was?"

"Must be pretty proud of yourself. It's a remarkable thing to be one of us," he continued. He then extended his hand to her. "I'm Marvello. Marvello SunStar."

Bella stared at his hand for a moment before accepting it. "Bellatheibus Demure."

"You're also the only Miracle in Suprema in our year. That's...extraordinary."

"Thank you." She didn't think Marvello was truly happy about any of this. Why was he pretending that he was happy about it, she didn't know.

"I hope you live up to our expectations, Bellatheibus. Hmm...Bellatheibus. What a strange name. Almost as though you were born here." His eyes felt like a weapon as he stared at her, gaze intense. "Well, I hope you enjoy your night, then."

He then signalled for his friends to follow him and walked out the room.

"That was...weird," Piper said, after a few moments had passed.

"More like ominous," Blake added.

"I'd say..." Bella still felt like her soul had been violated.

"Congratulations on being an Imagin though. He wasn't wrong when he said it was extraordinary. It truly is a very uncommon title, especially for Mircales like us," Blake said.

"So, I've heard," Bella groaned. "Let's not dwell on that shall we. I'm starving. So tell me, where'd you put my dinner?"
_______________

Heads up...next chapter is a long one.
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