ADAD Chapter 3: Sorting, part 1

 Anastasios and Darius were led to the same room, together with the chubby boy that Darius had waved to. Harvey had disappeared down the hall, but he was in the same wing as them. 

"My name is Darius, and this is Anastasios," Darius said, when the three entered the room. 

"Noah. Are you from one of the magical realms?" The boy asked, and the two friends shared a look. 

"And you are not?" Anastasios asked, and Noah shook his head. 

"I am from the human realm. I still can't believe that there is more than one realm. I thought that these types of things happened only in stories," Noah said, and then blushed. "Uhm, what are you, guys?"

"I am a vampire," Anastasios said, and then nodded to Darius. "He is a demon." 

"Oh, cool," Noah said, the awe evident in his voice. "I am a wizard. The headmaster felt me doing magic, and then came and talked to my parents. Hey, can I get your numbers?"

Noah pulled out a slim brick from his pocket, and both boys looked at him with confused expressions. 

"What is that?" Darius asked, and the chubby boy tilted his head to the side. 

 "A phone. Don't you have them where you were born?" He asked, and the two shook their heads. "How do you speak with people at long distances?"

"We have these," Anastasios pulled out his mirror, and showed it off. "With them, you can even speak with people outside the Realms of the Forgotten Times. Can your...uhm...what did you call it again?"

"Phone," Noah repeated, and then pocketed his phone. "Do you think I am the only human in here? Can I even finish my studies in here, before I age and die? Two-hundred years is more than I can imagine living through." 

"If you are a wizard, then you get immortal at twenty-five," Anastasios told him, and then looked at Darius. "You will be the first immortal in our group. Possibly, the first to be allowed out in the world." 

"I will bring you gifts," Darius promised, and then looked to the bunk beds. "Four? Are we waiting for someone?"

Prisila had been taken to the girl's wing, so the two boys were certain that they weren't waiting for her. 

"Well, I don't..." Noah said, and then a boy pushed the door open. 

"Oh, and how did you say the castle powers itself?" The boy asked, badgering the pixie that led him with questions. 

"Mana, young man. Now, get to know your bunk mates. Good night," the pixie left, without waiting for the boy to ask her yet another question. Darius saw the pointy ears, and figured that the boy must be an elf. 

"Hello," Darius said, and their new roommate turned towards them. 

"Hey, oh, a demon, a vampire and a human wizard. I am so glad that none of you are Cerberus," the boy then walked in, and looked at the bunk beds. "I call dips on the topmost bed." 

With that, he climbed the ladder to the left bunk bed, and made himself comfortable on top of it. 

"Cerberus? Like the three-headed dog of the Underworld?" Noah asked, and the boy chuckled. 

"Oh, you humans..." he said, and then sighed. "No, like the dog shifters. I am a cat shifter. Or, a Feline, if you'd like to be polite." 

"And what is your name?" Anastasios asked, and the boy smiled. 

"First you, vampire," he said, his voice taking on a teasing note. 

"Anastasios, this is Darius, my soulmate," Anastasios pointed at Darius, who waved at the shifter. "And this is Noah." 

"Well, glad to know. My name is Timothy," the shifter said, and then stretched on the bed. "But you can call me Tim." 

"What house do you expect to be in, Tim?" Noah asked, as the cat shifter showed them his back. 

"House? Whatever deals with daggers. I heard that Master Gideon is the best rogue that has ever left this academy. People say he is the best instructor, as well. Now, if you don't mind, I need to catch some sleep. Goodnight, littermates," with that, Timothy yawned, and he was soon in a deep sleep. 

"Must be hard on him, having to sleep less," Noah murmured, and then got two quizzing looks from Darius and Anastasios. "Cats sleep for more than eighteen hours during the day." 

"Hey, I heard that," Timothy turned around to glare at Noah. "I will have you know that my sleep cycle is the same as that of a human's, when I am in a human's form. You wouldn't want me to assume that your metabolism is the same as that of a magicless human, would you, wizard?"  

"Weren't you asleep?" Darius asked. He could swear he had heard the cat shifter snore. 

"You are all too loud. Go to bed, and talk tomorrow," Timothy demanded, and then the three who were still standing up shared a look. 

"Noah, can you take the bed under Tim, so Dari and I can be on the same side?" Anastasios asked, and Noah nodded. 

"Sure. Are you really soulmates?" The wizard asked, and the two nodded. "Do you think I have a soulmate, somewhere?"

"Every magical being has a soulmate," Anastasios assured the boy, and then took a hold of Darius's hand. "Come on, tomorrow will be a big day." 

As Darius and Anastasios made themselves comfortable in their beds, Noah stood rooted to the spot for a while. 

I have a soulmate. Somewhere, out there, there is my other half. Would she care that I am... chubby?

That thought made the shoulders of the boy slump. He was just six, but he was already apple shaped. 

I will make sure that I don't get more weight, and then I will be in a normal weight, once I grow up a little. 

With those thoughts, Noah went and laid on the bed under Timothy. He closed his eyes, and was soon asleep. The lights turned themselves off, after a couple of minutes, and the silence was broken up only by four lightly snoring children.