It was a terrible morning to leave, precisely because it was so beautiful. Standing on the pier, under painted clouds on a perfect blue sky as the sun came over horizon—it was the kind of morning best spent on the beach, or sipping coffee on the back porch overlooking the lilacs. 

Solene sat atop her trunk and brought her hand to shield her eyes from the rays of the rising sun. Her mother lingered by her on the pier, and of course Horus was by her side. 

Soleil had left late the previous night, not long before midnight. Solene wasn't sure why Luna didn't insist on her staying overnight, like she might have with Horus or any of her other friends, like Miranda Barringer. Well, she wasn't certain as to the reason. But what she was certain of was that something had happened between Soleil and her mother.

It hadn't started last night, of course.

But reflecting on it, on being sent out, and how distant Soleil seemed by the time Solene returned with the pizza, it had clicked together in her mind. 

She wasn't sure when the rift between the sisters had begun. Maybe it had always been there, and there was a time when Solene was too young to see what was right in front of her very eyes. But the twins were on thin ice with one another—and that wasn't any good.

After all, that was how the family curse always began. 

"Look, there it is!"

Punctuated by a horn, her mother's cry drew Solene's eyes over to the growing dark shape in distance, coming under the red gates of the Dragonsgate Bridge. Solene hastily stood up. 

Luna turned to her. "You've got everything you need, right?"

"Yes, and if I don't, I'll write to you with a list." 

"Good." Luna tucked a tendril behind Solene's ear. "Write at least once every week, alright?"

"I will, Mom."

"And have some fun, alright?" Luna tilted her head. "You're so serious. I'm afraid I gave that to you. Although your father could be so solemn too. . ."

She trailed off, then shook her head. "Never mind that. Know that you can write to me or to Horus at any time if you need anything, alright?"

"Don't worry so much." Solene ducked away. "I'm almost eighteen, I can handle myself."

Something that sounded somewhere between an exhale meant in humor and a sigh emanated from her mother. "I know you are. I love you, Solene."

"I love you too, Mom." Solene took another step back. "I'll be back for the Harvest Festival."

Luna nodded, pressing her lips together in a thin line that then twisted into a smile. "Good, good."

Her frown returned quickly, and she was toying with the gleaming golden moon pendant hanging from a slender chain around her neck. In doing so, Solene became acutely more aware of her own necklace, the golden sunburst caught between the ends of the crescent moon. It was a combination of her mother's and her aunt's pendants. A reminder of the family legacy.

The ferry ride was fairly standard, as far as Solene was concerned. It was a quick ride, about twenty or thirty or so minutes across the calmer morning waters of Ventura Sound's harbor. They passed under the Dragonsgate Bridge as the pastel cars went zooming by, which of course impressed the new students starting their education at Anouir. They also passed by some of the selkie rocks, where the seals shed their skins to become human and wave before returning to the ocean. 

Solene supposed she should be taking it all in, appreciating that this would be one of the last times she rode up to the Anouir Institute. 

But she couldn't. It wasn't like it would be the last after all—there would be holidays like the Harvest Festival or the Solstice Remembrance that would cause them to send all the students home. By her count, she'd be coming back via the ferry at least two more times.

Still, a sense of melancholy washed over her as they pulled up to the docks. It was the beginning of the end, and that still meant something. Even if she was eager to graduate and get out of this place. 

Solene stepped off the ferry, where already so many students were disembarking—and others were waiting for their friends. She craned her neck, looking around for the carts she could use to push her luggage. Before she could make her way to them, however, she was nearly tackled to the ground in a hug. 

"You're here!" Willa cried. "Oh, that means the coven's all together again!"

"It's good to see you too, Willa." Solene tapped her friend's back three times, and Willa immediately let go, her face flushing as pink as the streaks in her hair. 

"Sorry, it's just so exciting." Willa tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I mean, we'll all be graduating this year! How have you been, I feel like we barely saw each other this summer!"

"Weren't you guys spending your summer up in Stargazer Valley with your mom's family?" 

"Oh, yeah, that's true." Willa sighed. "It's so hot there. I know they're doing, like, really cool stuff with the portals program. But did they have to do it in the middle of the desert? My dad and I were practically dying by the end of the summer."

"But not your mom?' Solene couldn't help but raise a bemused eyebrow.

"Oh no, she and my grandparents and our cousins were all super happy and wanted to be outside all the time." 

"Willa, I was wondering where you slipped off to so fast." A tall redhead in lilac bell bottoms and a lime green t-shirt sauntered over, a girl with short hair and the same golden eyes as Horus right behind her. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the last member of our circle? You've been a stranger this summer."

"It's nice to see you too, Tamara, Carmen." Solene glanced around. "You all got here early."

"So did you," Carmen pointed out. "But now that we're here early, you and I will get out pick of rooms at the Hawthorne House."

"Ugh, don't remind me, I'm still in the dorms," Tamara groaned. "You three and your fancy coven houses and bigger rooms."

"Sorry, Tamara." Willa turned to her. "Chevalier's had low recruitment numbers lately. I could check with the coven head and see if you could come in my room?"

"Oh, no, don't you worry about me." Tamara waved her hand dismissively. "I'm just shooting the breeze."

"Oh, okay." Willa's face turned pinker and she looked away.

"We should probably find our luggage then, and then we can go about checking into our rooms and unpacking." Solene glanced around. "I swear they move the cart station every year!"

"Yeah, they moved it over by the boathouse this year," Carmen said. "I'm glad you're my roommate again this year, by the way."

"Oh." Solene was surprised at how much Carmen's words had taken her aback. "Thank you."

Tamara snorted. "Don't you three all go getting sappy on me. That's for the spring at least!"

As they started toward the boathouse and the cart station, Tamara leaned over them and threw her arms around her friends. "This year is going to be our year, I can just feel it!"

With the way they all laughed, even though nothing funny was actually said, Solene could believe that it would be.

Once they located the carts and loaded them up with their luggage, they pushed them up the white walkways paved all around campus. They passed the Big House, as denoted the main white mansion that served as the main building for all events and classes. It had once been the home of the Anouir clan, the family of powerful witches who had given the school its name. They were said to be master enchanters and artificers, capable of creating legendary magical artifacts that had appeared all throughout Verana's history. When the last remaining witch of the Anouir family had sworn off having children, he'd created the school out of what remained of his family home. 

Next were the labyrinthine gardens, starting by the grandiose back porch and stretching out in several directions with the perfectly-trimmed tall green hedges blooming with red and white roses. Students often explored the features hidden within the gardens like fountains and statues donated by alumni. Or they would sit outside on a nice day in some quiet corner of the gardens and do homework or nothing at all.

Solene supposed today could have been such a day, if it weren't for the problem of carrying the luggage by. 

Once the little coven made their way through the gardens, they found themselves on the path to the Coven Drive. A cul-de-sac of white stone marked the area, with the houses done up in slightly less elaborate or extravagant iterations of the Big House's style. What differentiated them was mainly in the colors and decorations, each marking the different heraldry of the covens.

The majority of these covens weren't unique to the Anouir Institute. These were massive organizations, spread all across the country of Montalvo—some going even further, across borders. 

Evenstar was among most distinctive, with their deep indigo blue trimmed with black and the celestial motifs that hung in the windows. As the preferred coven for those interested in the science of Divination, there were telescopes mounted to the railings with desks that could be folded down next to them if one needed to make an urgent star chart. 

Next door was Chevalier, the coven that both of Solene's parents had pledged themselves to. It was much plainer, in shades of gray reminiscent of the castles like the one in Gardenia Renoux, the kitsune neighborhood. They made up for it in the royal blue and gold heraldry banners that they draped across the railings, pinned beside the door and hung in every window. It was supposed to call back to an era of chivalry, when warriors like Durendal protected early Veranans from the magical threats of their days, to the earliest days of the Covenant. 

Then there was Hollyoaks in their green and brown, a coven that Solene at one time had considered joining. Like Hawthorne, they predominantly produced Healers—but they also had alumni that turned to other forms of magic to do with the Circle of Earth. 

As a witch with a strong affinity for the element, Solene certainly qualified—but it was Hawthorne that had called to her. They were also less flashy, but neat with the red roof and trim over a white house. One could even imagine this place at some point being a doctor's office. 

Beyond that were other covens like the Arcane Spiral with their signature teal and green, but their little coven came to a stop.

"I guess this is where we say goodbye." Willa rocked onto her tip-toes.

"Until dinner," Tamara laughed. "I'll see you all then."

"Alright then, see you then!" Still, Solene's smile faded and she felt a pang in her heart. There would come a day when their little coven would dissipate for the last time on the campus at the Anouir Institute. 

You're eager to leave, she reminded herself. You don't want to be here that much longer.

She turned to Carmen. "Come on, let's go pick out a room."