“For most of you, this is your first time away from home and that’s an unsettling thing, so please, please let us know if there is anything we can do to help you acclimate.”
She smiled through the whole thing, looking honestly happy to be there. Her right hand tapped the big white board next to her and words appeared, stacked vertically.
Anomalous
Recondite
Combatives
Academy
Noble
Echelon
“Oracle, one of the two sponsors of this program, is inordinately fond of acronyms. So we have this little beauty.”
She tapped the board again and the first letters of each word self-highlighted, the rest of the words dissolving away and the letters swirling about to form ARCANE.
“Welcome to College Arcane, an educational experiment funded jointly by the Occult Research Alternative Combat League, also known as ORACLE, and the Demidova Corporation. Our purpose is to provide you, the children of the supernatural world, with a unique blend of college education and training specific to your own unique natures.
“Some of you were born into families with long histories of exposure to the paranormal. Some were born to normal families that had no idea how to handle your special gifts. And some were just exposed, early and often, to the darker side of life. Whichever path you come from, the hidden world has left its stamp on you, perhaps making it harder to fit into normal society, to find your place. That’s our mission: to help you fit into this world.
“We’re also going to develop your skills, help you achieve the most you can get from your gifts while learning to control them. So although I’m sure you’ve all read your welcome packets as well as the information we mailed to you last month, let me layout the structure of our program.
“You will all pursue the educational direction of your choice, attending either the University of Vermont or Champlain College or, in some cases, both. Most of you are starting as freshmen in the spring semester. Several of you are technically still in high school, but you will be finishing your traditional education here, taking college courses and receiving a diploma from your hometown school while advancing toward a college degree.
“I won’t lie. College is hard work and to make matters a bit more difficult, you will also be taking a few classes here. Three days a week, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, all of you will be taking Supernatural Survival, taught by Mr. Jenks.”
The tough-looking werewolf stood up and waved at the group before sitting back down.
“This class will be taught in the morning, before your regular classes begin up the hill on the campuses. Specifically, six a.m. You will meet in our gym facility.”
There was a collective groan, although we all should have known this from the packets.
“Your survival class is a combination of personal self-defense, situational awareness training, modern survival skills, and a honing of any particular personal abilities that you have.
“Additionally, following the same Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule, you will each have an evening class that has already been selected for you. The majority of you will take Explorations of Power with Miss Berg.” The tan witch stood up and smiled, giving a little wave and even nodding toward the four witch girls.
“Those of you with more volatile natures,” she said, smiling at the weres below us, as well as at a boy and girl sitting to our left who looked like a brother and sister. “—will be taking Control, also taught by Mr. Jenks.
“Control will teach those of you with physical gifts not only how to manage your tempers, but to better use your strength and speed. If you Shift, it will teach you to gain the third form, the midway mode.”
The were boys looked excited at that, but the brother and sister combo seemed unimpressed.
“Explorations is a carefully constructed curriculum designed to help you build control and skill with your gifts of the mind while exposing you to other facets of the supernatural world. Some of you have gifts that we term psychic for lack of a better classification, with maybe one or two specific abilities. We will hone those. Some are more broadly endowed with abilities. Witches, as it were. We will explore the spectrum of your Craft and share various approaches.”
She looked at the four teenaged witches as she said this. One of the blondes smiled broadly and tossed her hair. Her twin blinked like she’d been daydreaming and the native girl looked… blank. The one on the far end leaned forward and I finally